Quarter System at the University of Chicago Forum

[Ivy2015]

I would love to hear opinions on the system (how it affects 1Ls, how it influences internships, etc.) from current Chicago law students or anyone familiar with the quarter system. Thanks!

[Budfox55]

Bump. I would like to know as well. I've spoken to one student about it, but would love other perspectives. Thanks!

[xael]

I have only ever been in the quarter system (but don't go to Chicago). It sucks in that your schedule is so different from everyone else's (I was just starting my third brief the day some of my friends turned their final one in for example) but i think I (tho again havent done semesters since hs) prefer it overall. You can take a lot more classes and the classes mean less in aggregate.
Feel free to pm me for more info f you'd like!

[Rahviveh]

It sucks, both because you are forced to have exams three times a year, and in some cases if you do an SA you will not be able to do the full 12 weeks and earn as much as your colleagues. I wouldn't choose another school just because of it, but its a serious negative. Also, you won't care about having the option to take more classes after you finish 1L, trust me.

[WheninLaw]

Big upside is you start with only 2 exams that are like 15% of your total 1L grades. Pretty awesome if you're not someone that is great at law school exam writing from the get-go.

[UChicago2017]

You will take 3 sets of exams each year (which is awful), but each set is on less material. But it is nice that the first year starts slow and then ramps up the way it does.

In terms of job prospects, there is absolutely no reason to worry that the quarter system will adversely affect you. We've moved our OCI earlier so that there is more overlap with other schools, and any firm you'd be interested in holds spots for us and Stanford. There is also a push from the administration for spring grades to come out quicker, which will help with the very top-flight clerkships (the only real place we've been disadvantaged, from what I can tell).

[SoCalTacos]

A few more random pros to consider:

You get to take more classes (and thus diversify and explore your interests)
You get to enjoy your spring break more.
Taking more finals is a good thing, it forces you to become a better legal thinker and writer.

Professionally, there is little downside due to the earlier OCI. One poster noted it hurts your ability to be an SA, but that it is not true here because our classes start later in the fall (and thus allow people to work a full summer). In fact, this makes it relatively common for people to work at 2 firms, or one 1 firm and a government agency during their 2L summer.

[xael]

oh a BIG pro: oci callbacks can all fit in during the summer. You don't have to juggle both callbacks and school, which is really nice. Trust me.

[Robb]

big pro: 4 month summer break

[Rahviveh]

oh a BIG pro: oci callbacks can all fit in during the summer. You don't have to juggle both callbacks and school, which is really nice. Trust me.

This isn't really a pro since 2L is a joke and your classes don't matter.

I forgot about the 4 month summer break though, that ones legit

[Rahviveh]

A few more random pros to consider:

You get to take more classes (and thus diversify and explore your interests)
You get to enjoy your spring break more.
Taking more finals is a good thing, it forces you to become a better legal thinker and writer.

Professionally, there is little downside due to the earlier OCI. One poster noted it hurts your ability to be an SA, but that it is not true here because our classes start later in the fall (and thus allow people to work a full summer). In fact, this makes it relatively common for people to work at 2 firms, or one 1 firm and a government agency during their 2L summer.

Some firms don't allow people to stay later and have a hard cutoff date when all the summers need to be gone. Not all firms of course. So you only get the 10 weeks. Split summers probably function differently

[rpupkin]

Big upside is you start with only 2 exams that are like 15% of your total 1L grades. Pretty awesome if you're not someone that is great at law school exam writing from the get-go.

I wouldn't call this a "big upside," but it is an upside. Other than this, though, the quarter system blows.

[rpupkin]

big pro: 4 month summer break

But isn't it just a week or two longer than the summer break the semester folks get? Sure, you get to start Fall classes in mid-to-late September, but you also finish Spring finals a month after everyone else.

[WinterComing]

Is the quarter system really a big enough factor, in one way or the other, to influence someone's decision about where to go?

[Robb]

big pro: 4 month summer break

But isn't it just a week or two longer than the summer break the semester folks get? Sure, you get to start Fall classes in mid-to-late September, but you also finish Spring finals a month after everyone else.

i dunno, my undergrad had a 10 week summer break. just glancing at Columbia's it looks like they get 3 months, so ours is a bit longer. after 1L you end up finishing just a week or two after everyone else

[hairbear7]

Is the quarter system really a big enough factor, in one way or the other, to influence someone's decision about where to go?

It shouldn't be because it's really not a big deal

[rpupkin]

Is the quarter system really a big enough factor, in one way or the other, to influence someone's decision about where to go?

Well, don't choose GULC over SLS because you don't like the quarter system. But if you're considering two peer schools (e.g., Chicago and CLS), and if most other things seem equal to you, I don't see anything wrong with using quarter vs. semester as a QOL tie breaker. Having three sets of finals a year sucks.

[zhenders]

I love the hell out of it. By the time you'd normally hit the 11-week "I'm done with this class" feeling, you're actually, literally, done with that class.

I mean I totally get that for some it doesn't work out, but having done semesters in undergrad, I think UC's system kills it.

Plus, 2L summer = long as hell. There's no "split summers". There's two summers in one of you want it.

[landshoes]

I think it depends on what works for you. I like how fast everything goes. Semester-long classes always dragged for me.

I also like the opportunity to meet more professors. It was easier to find a few professors that I really clicked with, instead of trying to force it with profs who I didn't love.

The two tests that weren't worth much in terms of grades? AWESOME. So nice to be able to have a set of tests that aren't that important. All of the craziness of adjusting to 1L was much nicer because we knew that we only had tests for two of the classes we were in. People who got disappointing grades can adjust and people who got good grades can use them to apply to 1L jobs. It's the best of both worlds, in that sense.

Downside, so far, is that our breaks aren't 100% breaks because of the classes that go over two quarters. You can't do the thing where you're completely done and can just relax. I'm not a big relaxer anyway, so this might be just me.

I'm also looking forward to having a bit of a break after OCI, to do callbacks and generally relax and decompress. I think we have about a month after OCI. I'm also looking forward to the long 2L summer--I know people who did a ton of traveling with their SA money.