The pros and cons of quarter vs. semester

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in
Chief  Timothy Kudo

Managing Editor
 Michael Falcone

Viewpoint Editor
 Cuauhtemoc Ortega

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 Maegan Carberry
 Edward Chiao
 Kelly Rayburn

Editorial Board Assistants
 Maegan Carberry
 Edward Chiao

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Bruin lives on fast-forward may soon have an opportunity to slow
down if university administrators decide to convert our 11-week
quarter system into a 17-week semester system, like the one used at
UC Berkeley and in countless private institutions nationwide. There
are pros and cons to both systems, but ultimately the greatest
concern lies in how this will affect the quality of education.

The university’s joint committee evaluating the
ramifications of the potential switch will have many factors to
consider before submitting their report to faculty and
administrators toward the end of March. A semester system provides
students and professors with more time to delve deeply into
academic subject matter instead of operating at the surface level;
it will open up more free time in student schedules for
participation in campus clubs, socializing and working; and it will
eliminate the need for a third financial transaction in
student-related services, like the Financial Aid Office and
On-Campus Housing, saving time and money. But the quarter system
also has its benefits. Because of its fast turnover rate, students
are exposed to more subjects; survey courses are wrapped up
quickly; and junior college students have more opportunities to
transfer.

In making a decision of this magnitude, the joint committee must
include students in the information-gathering and final
decision-making stages of the process. Students, who live the
benefits and flaws of the quarter-system daily, can offer a
valuable source of perspective in this matter. Likewise, students
should make recommendations to their student government about which
system they prefer before the decision is made for them.