Author	Thread: classes
Admin	classes Posted : 24 Mar, 2011 11:35 PM So, spring quarter is starting for me this coming Monday. I'll be taking: x art history x grant writing for non-profits x survey of American literature Anyone else care to share what they're taking? =) Post Reply
bcpianogal View Profile History	classes Posted : 28 Mar, 2011 07:10 PM Paschen81, I don't think semesters are as bad as you think they are! As a student, I did both the quarter and semester thing. I found pros and cons to both...too many to list here! I don't know of many people who have 8 classes per semester, though. It all depends on the credit hours your semester classes have. Most basic classes (like English, Math, History, etc.) are three credit hours, and a full load is 12 hours. That means that 4 classes is all a student would need. Those classes meet for about 150 minutes per week for about 14 weeks (at least, that's the semester length at the college where I teach). Now, having said all that, I will admit that some degrees require more hours than others, and the average credit load for a semester is probably more like 15-18, which means taking 5-6 classes. But 8? Wow...that's more than I would recommend any student take!!! Post Reply
paschen81 View Profile History	classes Posted : 29 Mar, 2011 06:49 PM bcpianogirl, wow that sounds alot like our quarter credit hour loads. Our English, Math, Psychology ect courses are all 3 to 4 credit hours as are most core degree classes. I have yet to take a 5 credit hour class where I'm going currently. Most of my classes are all 3 or 4 credits with only a couple 2 credit hour classes. Full time is 10 credit hours instead of 12 but really... how much difference is 2 credit hours? To complicate the switch here... Even though I'm full time (or was) I was only taking 3 classes a quarter because I was able to get credit for transferred credits as well as certification credits. most quarters require 4 to 5 classes each of 4 quarters per year. So in my mind... I see it like this... If under quarters you take 4 or 5 classes each of 4 quarters and under semesters there are only 2 sections... then what is taken under the 4 will be combined into 2 sections. So, it seems as if there would be 8 or 9 classes each semester to complete the same amount of coursework. This however, will be off a little as some of the classes divided over 2 quarters I know for fact will be combined into 1 semester... as I said before... cramming two 11 week quarters (22 weeks worth of information) into one 16 week semester. I don't know... it may not be so drastic as it seems when looking at the quarter curriculum layout. I just can't see that amount of coursework being completed in 2 years under semesters without combining fall and winter quarter courses into 1 semester and spring and summer quarter classes into the other semester. But then... I've never been under a semester format and don't understand the concepts of semesters as far as how the credit hours are determined... I only know that a 3 (quarter) credit hour course = 3 lecture hours (two 1.5 hour lectures each week) and 8 homework hours (average) per week. Since you've been under semesters... how are lab hours figured into the equation? Since under quarters they are kept separate so take Anatomy and Physiology that is a 4 credit hour class with a 2 credit hour lab. It's laid out where Monday 2 hr lecture Tuesday 1 hour lab Wed 2 hr lecture Thurs 1 hour lab. Then your time spent on homework for both lab and lecture are on top of all that. err... my brain hurts ROFL as said before... I'm glad I'll be finished before semesters start! Post Reply
bcpianogal View Profile History	classes Posted : 29 Mar, 2011 07:04 PM Hmm, it does sound like your quarters are more like my semesters. When I was under the quarter system, most classes were 5 hours, and full-time was 15 hours. Also, most people only went three quarters out of the year. Also, under the semester system, you do only have two semesters, but there is also the summer semester (at my school, we actually have three summer terms: May-mester, June 4-week, and June 6-week). If you don't like a heavy load in one of the two long semesters, you can take a few classes in the summer and still have a month off for summer break. But the change from quarter to semester (or vice versa) is always messy...both for course transfers and the students adjusting. Post Reply
bcpianogal View Profile History	classes Posted : 29 Mar, 2011 07:20 PM Oh, labs...missed that question! Classes with labs are usually 4 credit hours. They have three clock hours of lectures and about 2 clock hours (or slightly less) of lab time per week. The students register for the class and lab separately, but the lab is 0 credit hours and the class is 4. Also, our registration system is set up so that if you register for the class, you are forced to select a lab time. When I took a lab class under the quarter system and transferred it to a college under the semester system, the 5 quarter hour lab class transferred as a 3.2 semester hour lab class. Weird. At least they didn't make me make up the 0.8 hours of science classes that I was missing!!! Post Reply
paschen81 View Profile History	classes Posted : 30 Mar, 2011 08:34 PM yes! very messy business this switch to semesters is. Most of the students who are in the middle of their coursework will not graduate at the original anticipated date. May-mester? that I'm sure sounds cooler than the actual time period really is LOL. Although... since the length's are shortened... isn't it really difficult to take a class load in such a short timespan? under the quarter system where I'm at some degree's allow for a short-term summer quarter that instead of the full 11 weeks is 8 weeks long. It's an insane break-neck pace session since you are completeing the same amount of work in 8 weeks that is done in the standard 11 week module. My degree is not eligible for short-term summer quarter as the classes required during both summer quarters aren't offered in the shortened format (which is somewhat a blessing in disguise). Post Reply
bcpianogal View Profile History	classes Posted : 31 Mar, 2011 07:47 PM May-mester is only about 3 weeks long. Because it is SO short, students can only take one class...and they are in that one class for several hours every day. For the other summer terms, I think students can take 1-2 more classes. So they might get in 3 classes (usually about 9 hours) at the most during the summer. Most students that I advise (early childhood education majors) take classes for at least one summer during their 4 years just to keep from having heavy loads during the rest of the year. The program is very do-able in 4 years if you like to take 16-18 hours per semester...plus numerous hours of observations and practicums!!! Post Reply
View Profile History	classes Posted : 1 Apr, 2011 07:28 AM I'm on the semester plan too but because of my ending gpa last term not being high enough I could only sign up for two classes. So far this semester I've been working ridiculously more than FT and been sick off and on, so I'm not doing so well. But I've got Corporation Finance and Stats II. Next term(fall) will be some random business elective, international finance, principles of investments, and probably financial institutions and markets. Post Reply
paschen81 View Profile History	classes Posted : 1 Apr, 2011 09:00 PM sounds like some interesting classes you have there Nickel88 Post Reply
View Profile History	classes Posted : 4 Apr, 2011 10:44 PM Thanks for the welcome back, Paschen =) And congrats on your grades! I was pretty happy with mine, too. I got a 3.73, which I was pretty proud of because I had pneumonia and a female issue that I was dealing with all quarter long. I was super sick and on bedrest for awhile and stuff... It was a really tough quarter! I'm glad for the fresh start this quarter! Post Reply
Gourd00 View Profile History	classes Posted : 6 Apr, 2011 07:21 PM Media Writing, Education and Society, and one other class this semester. Post Reply

First

<< Previous  10

Page : 1 2 3

Next  3 >>

Last