<p>Hello everybody! </p>
<p>I have only been on a semester system and I'm wondering if anyone can advise on the difference between the two. I know semester system is LONGER than the quarter system, but I'm wondering if there are exams like every week and how hard is it to keep up if I were to be on the quarter system. Currently, I have exams appx. every three week...... on the semester system. If anyone can give me advise, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance! :)</p>
<p>The quarter system goes at a much quicker pace than the semester system. You have a lot less time to procrastinate and you essentially have to manage your time somewhat well to succeed. Also, final exams are usually held right after the last day of lecture. This is all based on what I’ve heard since I’ve never experienced this for myself. </p>
<p>@Cayton</p>
<p>Thank you for your prompt response. I hope you were misinformed because I would hate to take my final exam right after the last day of lecture! I don’t procrastinate but it does take me a little longer than a normal (younger) person to absorb information. I’m a non-traditional student…(older) so I put in a lot of time and effort into school to get decent grades. I guess I’ll have to wait and seeeeee. Thank you for providing me with this information. I appreciate it. </p>
<p>@WhiteTiger84 </p>
<p>On second thought, I could be wrong about when the final exam is usually held. To be more accurate, I should say that it’s not a held a week or two after the last day of lecture, but a day or two(or three?) afterwards.</p>
<p>And don’t worry, as long as you do what you need to do without losing track of deadlines, you should be fine. Although transfer students report having a little bit of trouble adjusting to a quarter system after transfer, the overwhelming majority of them get used to it pretty quickly without their grades suffering.</p>
<p>A past professor of mine said that by the second week professors give midterms. He was an undergrad math major at UCLA. I asked another professor at my cc about midterms being given in the first two weeks and he said it was common. </p>
<p>So idk if they are both lying or if thats common? lol sucks I’m used to midterms being maybe 5th week, and 8th week</p>
<p>ether way though I’m sure we will all adjust and do fine </p>
<p>OMG, really? If I get into a school with Quarter system, I’m gonna have to buy the books in advance to get a head start!!!</p>
<p>@sonic23 </p>
<p>That’s pretty frightening. I wish the UCs were on the semester system. :(</p>
<p>@WhiteTiger84 I always by my books 2-3 weeks ahead even at cc…but thats mostly because I get them from chegg and amazon and shipping can take forever at times. </p>
<p>but I had another professor who said professors will expect you to go the the first class having already read the first assigned part and ready to give a written response. Im really hoping thats a lie though. lol </p>
<p>even if it is true though I am sure it may all seem hard at first but we will get used to it and probably find it easier, in a way that we can finish more classes in one year than a semester.</p>
<p>@Cayton I know lol. At my cc the majority of professors went to cc first, in fact they went to the cc I attended and transferred to UCLA mostly. So they are a good source for asking about the transition, especially the younger ones since it wasn’t too long ago that they were undergrad students. </p>
<p>Some say it depends on your major, one thing they all mention are getting used to large lectures of 300, and meeting up once a week with an assigned group of 20 students to go over lecture with TA. Can be intimidatin</p>
<p>Have engineering friends who sometimes get assigned homework or reading before the quarter starts. Yes, they do give “midterms” starting from the 3rd week on. </p>
<p>Finals week starts right after week 10. If you’re unlucky, one (or more of your finals) might be taken on Saturday right after your last class on Friday.</p>
<p>guys guys calm down. The quarter system isn’t that bad. Granted I am at a cc and not a uc, but I find the quarter system actually pretty agreeable. Here are some pros. The class doesn’t last forever, so you don’t get bored of the material. The end is always in sight, so you kind of can put your eyes on the prize. Most importantly, the class covers less material, so the final could be easier. As for a midterm 2 weeks into the class? That sounds like hyperbole to me. Unless the class is 4 weeks long, that sounds pretty unlikely. I actually like the quarter system a lot, although I understand why not everyone does. I wouldn’t let it scare you away though.</p>
<p>From what I know, generally there is a dead week before exams, where you have a week to study. Not sure if that only applies to finals though. And I don’t know if all the schools have it. My friends seem to generally prefer quarter over semester because there’s less time for you to be assigned busy work. I’d like to think that overall, I’ll enjoy the change in pace since I get bored of my classes pretty quickly.</p>
<p>@Cayton Don’t know if you already know that Berkeley and Merced are both on the semester system.</p>
<p>@anavera </p>
<p>Yeah, I know. I just wish they weren’t the only ones on the semester system. :(</p>
<p>How ironic it is that only the best and the worst UCs are semester system :|</p>
<p>@lkm291 </p>
<p>I couldn’t help but notice that either.</p>
<p>Historically, all of the UCs switched to the quarter system in the 1960s. Berkeley switched back to the semester system in the 1980s. Merced started on the semester system.</p>
<p>The semester system seems to be more popular among schools these days, because there is less gained from dividing an academic year into three pieces instead of two pieces compared to dividing it into two pieces instead of one piece. But having it in three pieces means additional overhead (registration three times per year, final exams three times per year, grade reports three times per year, dorms have to be open slightly longer, etc.). However, switching imposes a fairly large, although one-time, cost that schools may be hesitant to take.</p>
<p>If year round school attendance were more popular, the quarter system may be more popular, since the summer session is a regular length quarter.</p>
<p>I kinda have a grasp on quarter system since my boyfriend went to UCLA as a transfer student and I was always at his apartment with his 5 other roommates. He thought it wasn’t that bad, but he also was taking many classes at various cc’s full time to the max units, including summer and winter. So transferring to the quick pace didn’t bother him and he enjoyed it because it left less room for bs class time. Midterms have no designated time. Some professors will give midterms VERY early, while others can give it very late. One of his roommates was still doing midterms for one class 2 weeks before finals. Honestly, I disregarded that it was even labeled a midterm because each of them had them at different weeks. Finals… I don’t remember how the schedule went. The academic calendars are available for the upcoming year if you want to take a look. And yes, dead week is… Dead. They call it that because nothing is going on due to everyone studying. If you’re partying and being disruptive, your neighbors and other surrounding people will get irritated… Honestly, just stay on top of your game, time management, plan and mark all your deadlines, and you should be able to keep up. You most likely won’t be doing a bunch of little work, rather you will have a few big papers that cost you a huge percentage of your grade. My boyfriend would spend a lot of time just doing a few papers for the quarter, and studying for exams when he did have them. Other than that he also had a lot of free time in between papers and exams to do whatever and socialize, you really just have to have a good grasp on time management… Can’t even stress that enough. He double majored and graduated in June with a GPA above 3.5.</p>
<p>I’m at UCLA and I can honestly tell you that how you adjust to the quarter system really depends on each person, and their major. </p>
<p>The benefits are that courses go by really quick, so if it’s a bad course, or bad professor, you’re done and over with before you know it. You also take more courses in a shorter time frame. Most people will take 3 to 4 courses each quarter, which comes out to be around 10 to 12 courses a year. Most people at the semester system take around 3-5 classes each semester and the average tends to be around 8-10 classes. This means you can usually fit in research projects and not lose out on too much time. </p>
<p>The drawbacks are that everything goes by fast. A typical class will have midterm week 5, and many of mine have had lecture on the day of the midterm. You take the test, turn it in, boom more lecture. Then finals are usually week 10, rarely week 11 (finals week), and there is no dead time. You’ll have a lecture on tuesday, for a final on thurs and that material will be covered! For some lit classes and especially south campus majors like math and engineering, you will have reading and stuff due the first day of class. Many will have tests or essays due week 2, week 4, major test 5 or 6, then 8 and finally week 10 and 11. </p>
<p>UCLA is about work load. There is a ton of reading, there is a ton of work, there is no slack regardless of which side of the campus you’re on. Personally I’m getting used to the quarter system but it took a good 2 quarters. My body was programmed to work in spurts with a rest period after midterms especially. But if you think about it, you get your midterm week 5, and then come back week 6 and you just have 4 weeks until finals, so you have no time to relax. We’re about to start week 4 right now. Next week I have two midterms and a 20 page paper due, and that’s a pretty easy load comparatively. I started studying my flashcards and notes week 3, and just built on it, because week 4 isn’t enough time to learn new material and review old material, so you need to be on top of it!</p>
<p>When people say take an easy load 1st quarter after transferring, listen to them. Don’t ding your GPA and put yourself behind the 8 ball. I know a handful of people who are now on Academic Probation and have Subject to Dismissal notices because they came to UCLA with 4.0’s and took 6 classes a semester, and they did all of the honors stuff, and then they came to UCLA and now have a 1.5 GPA because they tried to take too much at once. </p>
<p>Just plan ahead, manage your time, love your calendar! Quarters aren’t that bad, but you do have an extra midterm and final each year which is kind of a ■■■■■ stress wise. </p>
<p>@Mountain343
THANK YOU so much for your detailed information. The information you provided has given insight on the quarter system and now I know that I have to start studying from day ONE if not earlier. THANK YOU!!! :))</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this is relevant, but seriously, take your time adjusting. I know you guys are tempted to take 4, 5, 15 classes a quarter as a personal F you to the UC’s for robbing you of 15-30k, but remember, revenge is a calculated, cold, and especially, patient endeavor. Take your sweet time and slowly take more and more classes until you’re getting your money’s worth and possibly more.</p>