I know that most colleges run in semester system, with the exception of the state of Oregon. For those of you who aren’t familiar or aren’t fully familiar with the semester system, for public universities it can vary from 16 weeks to 16.5 weeks(15-15.5 weeks instruction, one week exam). For public community colleges, it can vary from 16 weeks to 18 weeks (15-17 weeks instruction, one week exam). For private universities semesters, instructional time can go as low as 12 weeks such as Princeton University. Also mention if you believe that there should be at least one study day, or your ideal length of that moment of the semester and how long you think final examination period should be (1 day-2 weeks). All public colleges and public universities have a one week length of examinations, but in private universities, it can be as short as 2 or 3 days, and as long as 1.5 weeks or 2 weeks. So in Princeton University, they have their study period called Reading Period, lasting for 9 days exactly and their Final Examination Period lasting also for 9 days exactly (both include Mon-Sat, 1.5 weeks long). Also, if you believe that there should be a break in the middle of the semester or some special holiday point, also include that. Most universities don’t have a one week fall break and if they do have a “fall break”, most have it to no longer than half a week, that is not the Thanksgiving long weekend. However, a few universities, especially in Georgia, somewhat in Florida, and a few community colleges in different areas, have the whole week off for Thanksgiving, that is from the Monday of the week of Thanksgiving to Friday. Most universities today have their spring break about halfway through the spring semester, but a very few of them, although I don’t know any, have their spring break during Easter. I, personally believe the following three semester style would be: [1: 16 week semester (1 week exams, no study session other than that weekend), no break during the semester, 10 week winter break and 10 week summer break (do the math: (10x2)+(16x2)=52 Each year has 52 weeks and 1 day) along with a winter session and a summer session, both being the same length being either 6 or 8 weeks long with 2 week classes free before the start and after the end of winter and summer session for those attending that optional session if 6 weeks long, but if 8 weeks long, that class free period is shortened to 1 week. So fall semester would be from late Aug/early Sept–Mid-Late Dec and spring semester would be from late Feb/early March–Mid-Late June; Trimester system, where three terms are equal length of 16 weeks (1 week exams, no study session other than that weekend). (Math: 16x3=48 1 year is 52 weeks and 1 day (leap year is 52 wks & 2 days) 52-48=4 weeks) So there would be a 2 week winter break, separating the Fall Tern and the Spring Term, 1 week break separating the Spring Term and Summer Term, and 1 week break separating the Summer Term and the Fall Term, whereas the summer term is the optional attendance term but it wouldn’t get rid of the Thanksgiving long weekend, and there would be no breaks during the semester. So Fall Term would be Late August/Early September–Mid/Late December, Spring Term would be Early January–Late April, and Summer Term would be Early May–Between Mid and Late August. Those who don’t attend the summer session in this style get a 4 month summer break, or a 18 week summer break.] I have no fully ideal mentally formed semester style, but these our just a few examples I have shown.
What does tuition have to do with this? You might want to try to break up your text and write more clearly if you want people to respond to your threads.
I tried making it as clear as possible. The purpose of this question was to see what would the semester calendar system be like in anybody’s ideal world. I explained mine along.