<p>Can anyone please tell me the advantages and disadvantages of Union's trimester system? My gut feeling is that the curriculum moves very quickly. Also I have heard that finishing so late in June makes for a short summer, and some jobs and internships expect the student's availability to include June (so they can't hire Union students). I know the students are "off" in December, but I would think companies do not tend to hire interns at this time of year? Is it awkward having such a different schedule from most other colleges? </p>
<p>Any insight would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Hi, I’m Jordan, a junior intern in the admissions office here at Union. Personally, I love the trimester system! As you may know, here at Union we operate with three 10-week long terms instead of the more common semester system (2 15-week terms). Classes are a little more fast paced considering we have to fit 15 weeks of material into 10 weeks time, but we generally only take 3 classes at a time, so it’s a little easier to budget your time across 3 courses. Our fall term starts around the first week of September and ends right before Thanksgiving. We don’t start Winter term until after New Year’s Day, so we have an awesome 6-7 week break for the holidays. Winter break is a great time to get a job or an internship because many other college students are still at school so there is a little less competition. Union also offers ‘Mini Terms Abroad’ during this break, that are unbelievable! The mini terms are 3 weeks long and you get a whole class credit! I went to New Zealand on a mini term, and we traveled and saw all the main attractions as well as incorporated an academic component, it was an amazing experience.
While we do end a little later in June (around the second week), we still have almost 3 full months of summer break, which is plenty of time to get a job or internship. Some companies do expect students to begin a little earlier, but there are many companies that are familiar with Union and working with Union students, so it is very easy to get an internship!
Hope I answered your questions!</p>
<p>Thanks for your reply. Although you mention that there is less competition for jobs and internships during Union’s winter break, do the students actually get jobs/internships? It would seem that December/holidays is a time when most companies are not hiring temporary / short term staff (other than retail). Have you heard from your classmates if they are actually finding employment?</p>
<p>Legit concerns. My daughter, who graduated from Union last year, really enjoyed the trimester system until spring, when everybody got home so much earlier than she did. She never took a mini-term abroad, however freshman year she found a retail mall job her first week of break and she kept that job all 4 years, working summers and holiday break to earn her spending and book money. It really was an advantage for her to be home between Thanksgiving and New Year’s to earn some money, so if that is important in your family dynamic the trimester system is a plus.</p>
<p>She really liked the fact that she could take a bigger variety of classes and that the terms were short and fast. As a member of the Union Scholars she was allowed to take an additional class twice a year, so she took advantage of that to take a bunch of courses she truly enjoyed. </p>
<p>She never found a summer internship, but she never looked very hard for one either as she had a “job” waiting for her regardless. There is no question that the shorter summer break is a disadvantage for finding summer internships. However during her senior year she did a part time unpaid internship locally that was arranged through the Union career office, so she ended up with an internship on her resume. Funny thing is, when it came time to job hunt the 4 years of customer service working her retail job carried the most weight in the interview process!</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>A friend who is at a trimester school hates she misses her friends during other “regular” breaks plus many internships are designed for the summer .</p>
<p>Thank you for your honesty to the above responders. This was exactly my concerns. On the tour they presented the trimester system as having the “advantage” that their students are among the few looking for internships during December. However it does seem like an atypical time for hiring (many firms close for vacation, not really hiring, etc.). Similarly, I do believe the students probably tend to wish they are done earlier for the summer, as most college kids are. I know a lot of kids want a break before beginning a summer job, however given their late arrival home, they probably lose this “break”. </p>
<p>So I think it is best to be realistic regarding expectations regarding Union’s schedule.</p>
<p>Thanks for your replies.</p>