<p>Thoughts from NU students. We've heard a lot. Depth vs breath....faster-pace vs. slower-pace. Opinions from those in the trimester system? Our attitude is kid-dependent, of course, but if you're really into exploring lots of different subjects, the trimester seems pretty cool. We want to know if it feels more pressure-filled or stressful?</p>
<p>My D used to say about the quarter system, that it always felt like there was a mid-term or a final coming up. But if you’re smart enough to get into NU, you’re smart enough to figure out how it all works, and adjust to the rhythms and demands of the quarter system.</p>
<p>D considers the quarter system a huge asset. She is really enjoying experiencing so many different subjects and professors, and in comparing notes with friends at other schools feels she learns as much (or more) in an NU quarter as her friends at other schools are learning in a semester. So far she has LOVED all but one professor, so she feels the more opportunities she has to work with the amazing teachers at NU, the better.</p>
<p>The pace is fast, but that’s what she has always thrived on and she wouldn’t have it any other way. And as others have said they adjust to it easily.</p>
<p>It’s all about time management. If engineering majors are getting theirs done, others should have no problem. IMO, if you are smart enough to get into NU and are not in engineering, MMSS, or ISP, you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed. Otherwise, it’s because either you have too many ECs or you slack off too much, not because of the quarter system.</p>
<p>S said to us…“I don’t get it…I have more courses now in high school and I have midterms and finals in, basically, the same time periods…so, what’s the big deal?”</p>
<p>Having experienced both, I prefer the quarter system.</p>
<p>Can take a wider range of classes (imagine being stuck in a boring class or w/ a bad prof. for a whole semester) and don’t have to worry about mid-terms/finals over Christmas or Spring Break.</p>
<p>Granted, I tend to be a person who is bored easily, but man, semester classes seemed like they were never going to end (on the positive side, it is easier to blow off semester classes and cram for mid-terms or just for finals at the end).</p>
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<p>FYI, at least 80% of what Theatre students do takes place outside of the classroom and conventional homework, but it is not EC. I have degrees in both Theatre and Engineering, and I assure you that I worked MUCH harder for the Theatre degree (and the people I worked with were much smarter). ;-D</p>
<p>Certainly, theater is a different animal. But I’d imagine they really enjoy those activities, despite the long hours. However, I am probably oversimplifying. </p>
<p>NU’s engineering is one of the more, if not among the most, demanding out there. Engineering First curriculum, though wonderful, requires more time-commitment than the former curriculum, which most other schools still follow. Also, it requires 48 courses to graduate. I have no idea how other schools can get away with 40 or even 36; conversely, I have no idea why ours requires so many. I think NYer S transferred to Michigan engineering and found that it’s less stressful over there than NU.</p>
<p>The communications school is known for grade inflation also. So at least they have less stress about grades.</p>
<p>I’ve been on the semester system twice now, along with the obvious time at NU on the Quarter system- I much preferred the quarter system, though I think for some things it would’ve been better to be on semesters.</p>
<p>Straight from the Daily Northwestern, a student complains about the quarter system :</p>
<p>[Gutelle:</a> Cramming is the quarter system’s biggest flaw - Forum - The Daily Northwestern - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/forum/gutelle-cramming-is-the-quarter-system-s-biggest-flaw-1.2662175]Gutelle:”>http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/forum/gutelle-cramming-is-the-quarter-system-s-biggest-flaw-1.2662175)</p>
<p>I guess if you are studious and well-organized, it is not a problem. Or just want the NWU badge even if you learned nothing and don’t plan to go to graduate school.</p>
<p>Yea, I guess students at Dartmouth, UChicago, & Stanford learned nothing also. By the way, you created an account just to post this? I love how our forum attracts so many trolls; it shows how awesome we are.</p>
<p>and smikey, if you’re going to post on this board, at least get our name right - no one here refers to the school as NWU.</p>
<p>Can argue pros and cons of the trimester vs. semester system till the cows come home. That some might prefer one over the other is no great shock (especially if they’ve only seen one system and never experienced the other).</p>
<p>If you read arbiter’s posts as someone who’s lived with both - trimester at NU and semester at Cornell - you’ll see an opinion shared by the vast majority of kids on campus. Probably a 3:1 split here would favor continuing trimesters as they are. I, for one, am part of that majority.</p>
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<p>And I guess if you AREN’T studious and well-organized you weren’t admitted to NU (or Dartmouth or UChicago or Stanford) in the first place, so the quarter system is still not a problem. :-D</p>
<p>Keep in mind that at some quarter system schools (e.g., Dartmouth), students take 3 courses/term, while at NU it is usually 4 (and occasionally 5). Frankly, I have always thought that that made NU considerably tougher. I also think that NU is worth it. My kid loved the quarter system. You just have to be a kid who can hit the ground running.</p>