<p>Well they thought because its a quarter system that there would be 4 parts (that is to say....quarters)so they included the summer quarter, which ends in late august, giving about a month of "summer".................in reality, not many students attend the summer quarter, so, yes summer is pretty flopping long.</p>
<p>So it's not possible to take more than four courses per quarter?</p>
<p>Physical education doesn't count as a "course," persay, in that it doesn't count as part of the load. I think you can pay extra to take 5, but I don't know why you would want to. Same price for 3 or 4.</p>
<p>you can take 5 courses per quarter, but you have to pay, and be a masochist.</p>
<p>Chicago requires 42 credits to graduate, and each class is worth 1 credit. So, it is possible to take two years of 4 courses a quarter and two years of 3 courses a quarter. (There are opportunities to take 4 one quarter and 3 the next within the same year as well.) What one has to consider is that courses at Chicago are 1 credit no matter how many hours they meet a week. My S currently takes 4 courses that meet 21 hours per week. The average course load, I believe is about 16 hours. I recommended, and of course was ignored, that for a first year 3 courses is good to start with. For some double concentrators, and if one throws in a little pre-med, travel abroad etc., more 4 course quarters may be needed.</p>
<p>Because he will be taking courses that meet more hours per week than is typical next year, he will be going to a special summer program (not at Chicago) that provides the opportunity for one to earn 3 quarters of lab science credit in 8 weeks. This will allow him to take 3 courses a quarter next year.</p>
<p>This also brings up the AP credit issue. None of the courses that my S could receive credit for apply toward his concentrations, and he needs more not fewer hours to achieve his goals, so AP credit, in his case, is meaningless.</p>