Quarter vs Semester
The distinction between quarter and semester is based on how educational institutions divide an academic year. It is important to understand that a semester is a general term used to refer to a part of an academic calendar, which can be following a quarter system or a trimester. However, each portion will be known as the first semester, second semester, third semester, and so on. In academic calendar terms, a quarter system refers to four small but equal sessions, while a semester is like having two halves of the academic session. There are more differences between these two systems besides how they divide a calendar year in an educational institution, which will be discussed in this article.
What is Semester System?
A semester system divides a course into several parts, which can be two, three or four. Typically, when referring to a semester system, it means a system with two semesters. Most schools and colleges in the western world operate on a semester system, and a student gets fixed grades at the end of a semester before Christmas and then again fixed grades at the end of the second semester at the end of the session. It is possible to switch some classes between the two semesters. One semester keeps students in school for about 16 weeks, including 15 weeks of studying and a week for exams, requiring 32 weeks of school in an academic year. Colleges that operate on a semester system start early (around August) and end early too, with one long break in between, around Christmas. The duration of a semester allows a student to work at their own pace and complete classwork, but it can be a disadvantage if they do not like a particular class in a semester. Some institutions prefer a faster-paced quarter system.
What is Quarter System?
A quarter system divides a course into four parts. When there are four quarters in an academic year in a college, called fall, winter, spring, and summer, students need only three of them to complete their course, making it a trimester and not a quarter system unless a student decides to make use of the summers, as well. The duration of a quarter is 10 weeks, followed by a week of exams, meaning that a student is in school for 33 weeks (3 x 10 + 3 = 33). This refutes the claim that the quarter system is longer for the students, as there is a difference of only one week. In a quarter system, classes are held on just two days of the week, which means that, in a quarter system, a student attends classes only 20 times. This indicates that the pace in a quarter is much more hectic, and a student cannot afford to miss a single class. Thus, many feel that a quarter system is much more challenging and unforgiving to students.
Key Takeaways
- A semester system typically has two semesters and is the standard way of operating in an educational institution.
- A quarter system divides a course into four parts and is considered faster-paced, more challenging, and unforgiving for students.
- The duration of the two systems is more or less the same for students (32 weeks in a semester system and 33 weeks in a quarter system).
Both quarter and semester systems divide the academic year into portions to make it easier to cover the curriculum and engage students in studies while providing them with free time through vacations such as Christmas Break and Spring Break.
