Quarter vs. Semester System Forum

[gastronomy]

Are there any pros. or cons. to choosing one system over the other during law school (i.e. length of classes, final exams, etc)?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[redtalun]

pros: you can enjoy your spring break without thinking about classes
cons: having finals right now

ok, but more seriously: having three rounds of finals sucks - there's a lot of stress involved in ratcheting up (and then down) the anxiety every exam cycle, and it feels really, really unhealthy.
Secondary considerations are a mixed bag - as a 1L, it was nice to have Fall midterms to feel-out what law school exams are like in a relatively low stakes environment (they were about 10-30% of the final grade). Quarters also tend to end later than semesters, which makes Summer plans a headache for some. I know one classmate that had to start his internship *before* the quarter ended and took his final remotely from DC.

[gastronomy]

pros: you can enjoy your spring break without thinking about classes
cons: having finals right now

ok, but more seriously: having three rounds of finals sucks - there's a lot of stress involved in ratcheting up (and then down) the anxiety every exam cycle, and it feels really, really unhealthy.
Secondary considerations are a mixed bag - as a 1L, it was nice to have Fall midterms to feel-out what law school exams are like in a relatively low stakes environment (they were about 10-30% of the final grade). Quarters also tend to end later than semesters, which makes Summer plans a headache for some. I know one classmate that had to start his internship *before* the quarter ended and took his final remotely from DC.

Those are really good points to consider. Thank you!

[Emma.]

Quarters at UChicago were amazing for 1L, but after that I was kind of over having three sets of exams every year. You can mitigate that in 2L and 3L by taking at least one paper class every quarter, though. I also liked that exams were only based on 10 weeks of material, so studying was manageable. Another plus -- if you don't like a class it is over quickly, but if it is a subject you like there's generally follow-on courses you can take in subsequent semesters. It is kind of a pain to hustle from 2L exams to 2L SA, but it was so so great to wrap up my SA gig with a bunch of cash in the bank and 6 full weeks before 3L started. Best summer ever.

[gastronomy]

Quarters at UChicago were amazing for 1L, but after that I was kind of over having three sets of exams every year. You can mitigate that in 2L and 3L by taking at least one paper class every quarter, though. I also liked that exams were only based on 10 weeks of material, so studying was manageable. Another plus -- if you don't like a class it is over quickly, but if it is a subject you like there's generally follow-on courses you can take in subsequent semesters. It is kind of a pain to hustle from 2L exams to 2L SA, but it was so so great to wrap up my SA gig with a bunch of cash in the bank and 6 full weeks before 3L started. Best summer ever.

I'll definitely have to keep those paper classes in mind. Thanks so much!

[xael]

cons i took a final today

[xael]

when evaluating that con please remember when daylight savings time begins

[xael]

pro if your school does a GPA then each test is worth less
con if your school doesn't do a gpa then it's just more chances to fuck up

pro super long summer
con that doesn't match up with anyone else's

pro "im gonna travel after my SA!!!!!"
con you will end up getting invited to 3 weddings over labor day weekend which is smack dab in the middle of everything

pro taking fewer finals at one time
con taking finals in march

pro a bunch of time for callbacks
con school till june

pro get to take different types of classes
con learning admin in 10 weeks

pro bad classes end quickly
con finals show up for the bad classes quickly

did i get it all
tbf i haven't been on the semester system since hs

[Nekrowizard]

pro if your school does a GPA then each test is worth less
con if your school doesn't do a gpa then it's just more chances to fuck up

Pretty sure you just have more chances to fuck up either way.

[xael]

pro if your school does a GPA then each test is worth less
con if your school doesn't do a gpa then it's just more chances to fuck up

Pretty sure you just have more chances to fuck up either way.

hmm good point perpetual fuckups make sure you skip the quarter system it isn't good for you

[gastronomy]

pro if your school does a GPA then each test is worth less
con if your school doesn't do a gpa then it's just more chances to fuck up

Pretty sure you just have more chances to fuck up either way.

hmm good point perpetual fuckups make sure you skip the quarter system it isn't good for you

Haha, oh gawd. I'll have a lot to think about. Thanks for all of the good points!