Trimesters?

<p>My D is thinking of Union but seems put off by the trimester system, particularly that her winter vacation is so early and that school ends so late. Can anyone shed light on how this system actually works for students?</p>

<p>see post #17 on the Ask aand I’ll Answer thread. The OP is a student and really likes the trimester schedule.</p>

<p>Thanks, that was helpful! If any other Union students have an opinion of the trimester schedule, feel free to add to this post.</p>

<p>My son likes trimesters, but does not like having his vacation time so out of sync with friends back home. He thinks everyone should be on trimesters. It permits students to focus on only three classes at a time, albeit in a condensed timeframe. Since he really likes being at school, I don’t think he minds being there into June, which is a beautiful time of year at Union anyway. It is a negative for summer jobs, however.</p>

<p>Bottomline – I have not heard of anyone at Union who wishes they had gone elsewhere due to trimesters. I do not think it should weigh heavily on your D’s decision.</p>

<p>How does the trimester system work with study abroad? It would seem that most programs don’t work with this system. Does a student have to go the first semester so it doesn’t overlap with the quarter system? If they go second semester, do courses have to be made up during the summer?</p>

<p>I personally LOVE the trimester system. I mean, the break is great–you save money by not going home for a short weekend (Thanksgiving) then coming right back to school. The best part is that since we only have three classes, it provides us with a good amount of time to devote to each class while at the same time providing us with the time to hold a job on campus as well as get involved in extra-curricular activities. In terms of having a different break than my friends, I was okay with it because winter break is normally only 3 weeks long and we have those three weeks off as well so we can see friends them. As far as spring break goes, most of my friends have different spring breaks than each other regardless of the school being trimester or not. </p>

<p>For studying abroad-as far as I know, most people study abroad for one trimester. For example, I just met someone who spend September-winter break in another country.
Also, there are many study abroad programs during the winter and spring as well. Here’s a list of when the terms are:
[Union</a> College International Programs](<a href=“http://www.union.edu/Resources/Academic/InternationalPrograms/countries/index.php]Union”>http://www.union.edu/Resources/Academic/InternationalPrograms/countries/index.php)</p>

<p>My daughter is a sophomore at Union (and she loves it btw). She was a bit put off by the trimesters when all of her high school friends were already settling in as freshman and she was still at home, but then loved it when she was home for the long break between Thanksgiving and the first of the year and was able to get a real job at the mall. She found out her first summer home that her high school friends all had different plans and schedules and that she wasn’t going to see as much of them as she had expected. By this year - she was more interested in her college friends and what they were up to than her high school friends.</p>

<p>Basically - her main concern about the trimester system was that it would put her on a different schedule than her “friends” - but one year of college taught her that she and her high school group were going to drift apart regardless of their vacation schedule, and now she is more connected with the college friends she has made. Apart from that, the practical aspects of the trimester system have worked out very well for her.</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback!</p>