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The Quarter System

dyip10dyip10 Registered User Posts: 532 Member
edited May 2006 in University of California - Los Angeles
What are the pros and cons of the quarter system (at UCLA) and the semester system (at UC Berkeley)?
Post edited by dyip10 on
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Replies to: The Quarter System

  • marycmaryc Registered User Posts: 156 Junior Member
    Some people like concentrating on fewer courses for a shorter time (quarter system), but personally I think the semester system is much better. You don't have to move as fast thru the material. With the quarter system, every time you turn around you're buying books again for new classes. But you can get used to either.
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  • flopsyflopsy Registered User Posts: 8,368 Senior Member
    The quarter system is synchronized to fit right between the three main holidays: Winter Break, Spring Break and Summer Break. That way, your classes will take place right between your courses and you won't have to study for your final exams during Winter Break like you would on the semester system. :rolleyes:
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  • wallyfuswallyfus Registered User Posts: 110 Junior Member
    but then do we take less courses each session on the quarter system? What's the average units of courses per quarter at UCLA?
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  • Neo YoyoNeo Yoyo Registered User Posts: 597 Member
    When does each quarter start/end? I know classes start on September 28 this year.
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  • ucapplicant05ucapplicant05 Registered User Posts: 1,415 Senior Member
    About 14-16 units per quarter.

    Neo Yoyo http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/calendar/06-07cal.htm
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  • Neo YoyoNeo Yoyo Registered User Posts: 597 Member
    Thanks, ucapplicant05!

    A question about spring break though...is it shorter than at other schools?
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  • JinFXJinFX Registered User Posts: 828 Member
    its one week, this week actually... i think... and if it is then that a week plus a day cuz casaer chavez day was a admin day (ie no skool)

    HS around UCLA all have 2 or 3 weeks i assume a week is really short
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  • ucapplicant05ucapplicant05 Registered User Posts: 1,415 Senior Member
    It's not a week plus one day. Cesar Chavez Day is just part of spring break. However, you can get another couple days if your finals ended early. So it'd be like 1.5 weeks if your last final was on Wednesday. And I don't know of any high school that has a break that's longer than 1 week.

    And yeah it was this past week. Sigh. Back to spring quarter with barely any holidays.
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  • milesguidonmilesguidon Registered User Posts: 418 Member
    My high school in socal gives me 2 weeks spring break.
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  • keywonkeywon Registered User Posts: 120 Junior Member
    My high school in the San Fernando Valley (not far from UCLA) gives a week.

    In any case, I have a question. What is a reaonsable number of classes to take in one quarter? In one semester?
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  • JinFXJinFX Registered User Posts: 828 Member
    at least santa monica is 2 weeks
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  • flopsyflopsy Registered User Posts: 8,368 Senior Member
    A reasonable number of classes to take in one quarter is 4.
    A reasonable number of classes to take in one semester is 6. :rolleyes:
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  • sicks06sicks06 Registered User Posts: 77 Junior Member
    ^^

    Genius!
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  • yermamayermama Registered User Posts: 208 Junior Member
    pros: if you dont like your classes, it will be over fast. no studying or stressing between breaks because it's all over (trust me this is wonderful to have ur last final and be home free). goes by very fast.

    cons: i guess short period of time to learn things and seems like you have tests all the time.

    i LOVE quarter system personally.
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  • kfc4ukfc4u Registered User Posts: 3,415 Senior Member
    pro: ability to take more classes (throughout the 4 years) and also try mini-classes like fiat lux seminars

    con: hard to catchup if you miss class
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