<p>[Princetonian</a> article about UofC](<a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2000/03/07/opinion/399.shtml]Princetonian”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2000/03/07/opinion/399.shtml).</p>
<p>What do you all think? Any comments from anyone currently at UofC?</p>
<p>Here are some current student comments.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.livejournal.com/community/uchicago/223783.html[/url]”>http://www.livejournal.com/community/uchicago/223783.html</a></p>
<p>Olo’s link doesn’t seem to work.</p>
<p>Try this one: <a href=“http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2000/03/07/opinion/399.shtml[/url]”>http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2000/03/07/opinion/399.shtml</a></p>
<p>Olo:</p>
<p>Not at UoC, but this is more of an issue of the Quarter system per se, and not just UoC. Dartmouth and many other selective colleges are also on the quater system, for example. </p>
<p>But, if you assume that a body of knowledge needs to be disseminated over ~9 months, it really doesn’t matter that much what calendar you are on. Take Frosh Inorgranic Chem for example. You can take two semesters or three quarters, but the material to be covered is essentially the same, and I would suggest that both Princeton and Chicago would cover ~90% of the same material. I would also GUESS that Princeton’s two week reading material means that a semesters worth (16 weeks) of teaching then gets compressed into 14 weeks of classes.</p>
<p>Yes, quarters can have more tests. But, you also have the opportunity to put one bad section behind you and move on to next quarter.</p>
<p>Hey, personally, Ilike the quarter system. You can squeeze more classes in that way, I was just wondering how UoC students felt.</p>
<p>BlueBayou – What you say is true to an extent – if you’re taking a course that’s stretched over three quarters, it’s probably the same material covered in two semesters. But my daughter has had some courses that begin and end in one quarter. In those cases, there really is a shorter time frame to learn the material.</p>
<p>Hrm… this actually intrigues me. Are there then advanced courses, such as being able to take courses in less semesters to get more of the courses you want in that way?</p>
<p>Sillystring, there really are two different ways that quarter-systems seems to work. At Chicago, students typically take 3 or 4 courses per quarter, and courses do tend to be intensive, that is equivalent to a semester perhaps. At some other universities that have quarter systems, students take even as many as 5 courses per term at ca. 3-credits each. Those courses are not as intensive as those at Chicago – they cover less material.</p>
<p>The main thing about quarter systems is that you can’t slack off much because the term goes by whiz-bang.</p>
<p>That article is from March 2000. It’s pretty funny, I think, esp. since the students at UofC are quite delighted with the academic torture.</p>