Quarter vs. Semester System | Pros and Cons | My Thoughts

Hi guys, I wanted to talk about the difference between the quarter and semester systems because most UC's are on the quarter system, and most CC's are on the semester system, so it's an adjustment for most transfer students. I discuss the difference in timing, workload, breaks, etc. as well as my thoughts towards the quarter system and how I made the adjustment. Hope this clears up any confusion you had about it!
About Me
-Name: Hailey Dollar (yes, that's my real last name)
-Age: 22
-CC: West Valley College
-Current School: UCLA
-Major: Applied Linguistics with a minor in Cognitive Science
-Fun fact: I love astrology! I am an Aquarius sun sign with moon in Aries and rising in Sagittarius.
Let's connect!
/ haileyxdollar
/ stophailey2k18
Snapchat: @haileyddddd
Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated in any way with the University of California, California Community College or California State University, or the admissions departments of these institutions. The information presented in this video is taken from my own personal experience.

[@JadeBolton6]

Crazy good timing! I was just telling my friends how I'm concerned about it. Thank you :)

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Try not to stress just cross that bridge when you come to it!

[@simarsehgal5400]

Hey Hailey! I just wanted to tell you that us your viewers really appreciate and are grateful of the efforts you put in to make this video and put it it up for us so that we could get more information and honestly it is helping A TON!!! I know even after putting in so much effort while studying is alot of hard work and not seeing many number of viewers and subscribers can be discouraging but i just wanna tell you that the number of people seeing you already really appreciate it and are thankful!!! Don’t worry you’ll see bigger numbers soon as well as u deserve it!! Thank u so much! We love you!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Hey there! I appreciate your support. I'm not really concerned with numbers so much as making sure that students have the information they need to transfer. Thank you for the kind words!

[@christopherleelewis21]

Excellent video and quite informative-- answered all of my questions. Thank you!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

I'm glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching, Christopher.

[@kazior6521]

Agreed with your assessment on the quarter system. My school was year round (4 quarters). You were able to graduate sooner. The standard was three 4 credit hour courses. Maximum you were allow was 16 credits per quarter (4 classes). We covered 2-3 chapters per class. Classes were focused on lecture, discussion, and in class lab assignments. We had a test every week. Homework was minimal. For a lot of my courses they were parts of a course project or term paper that were due. Collectively that had there own percentage as homework assignments. The final submission of the full project or paper had its own larger percentage.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

That sums it up! Now that I'm back on the semester system I find myself wishing that my school did quarter 🙃 16 weeks is just too long!!

[@hiboohlover]

Thanks for the video❤️really enjoyed it! Where did you get the”The Sun “poster/ decor in the background 😍😍I love it

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Glad you like the video 🙂I got the wall art at Homegoods

[@Julianax33]

Hi Hailey! Do people graduate earlier in a quarter system compared to a semester system since there is an extra set of courses you are taking? How big are your classes? Is it hard to establish relationships with your relationships? Does UCLA allow you to take community college classes, say over summer, while attending their university?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Hey Maggie, the graduation rates are typically the same because there aren't really any "extra" classes you take the work just distributed differently....it's kinda hard to describe. I've been discouraged from taking classes outside of UCLA once I matriculated but there wouldn't really be a need for that since classes at CC are GE units and by the time you transfer you should only be working on upper division stuff.

[@duha4906]

As a bad test taker, I'm really nervous about the quarter system. My nightmare is that I'll get horrible grades on my exams because I prefer the extra time to study, however I think I prefer to go to the UC rather than the Calstate I got admitted to. I have older siblings who all went through the quarter system and say that it's better than semester, however I understand that they're more intelligible than I am. Additionally, my father is telling me to stick to the semester since quarter is too hard. So my question is how do I decide between the two? And how do I decide for me? Should I prioritize the school or the system? Tysm for the video, Hailey. Im a senior in highschool and I'm so stressed. I wish I was more excited for college tbh

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Hi there! Sounds like you have a big decision to make. In my opinion, there is definitely an adjustment period when transitioning to the quarter system, but you shouldn't let that deter you from a school. The decision is yours to make, so you should have a serious conversation with yourself about what you want out of your college experience. And don't stress yourself out too much! You have a lot to look forward to. Good luck

[@duha4906]

Hailey Dollar woah thank you so much! That really does help 😭😭

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

glad I could help 🙂

[@alisheynaqvi8760]

I am going to be a senior in high school this upcoming fall. I was just wondering when I should apply to CC.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

I would recommend a few months before classes start

[@MC-Minority]

February-March 😬

[@melissaagarbi6751]

Is the quarter system like taking 3 semesters worth of material in the time spand of 2 semesters?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

It depends on the course. If you are talking in terms of a language class or something that is to be taken in a certain sequence, then yes. Otherwise each individual term is equal in terms of the amount of material that is learned. For example, if you take one semester of Creative Writing, that will be equal to one quarter of Creative Writing.

[@julie3651]

How many quarter units do you have to take every quarter when coming from a cc to graduate with a bachelors?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

The number of units you need to earn the bachelors would depend on the school and the degree program.

[@julie3651]

@@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege I want to graduate at UCLA with my bachelors in Psychology. How many units do I take each quarter?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the required coursework since I am not a Psychology major, but you should be able to find this information the Psych website and you can always reach out to a counselor from the department for more detailed info.

[@hopeunderwood4315]

Hi I don't know if you will see this, but do you take the same amount of classes per quarter as you did per semester?

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

For the most part, yes.

[@hopeunderwood4315]

@@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege thank you so much!

[@ColonelMarcellus]

Seems like the quarter system students would spend much more time trying to sign up for the next classes...and incurr more stress hoping yhe next classes are zvailable.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

Not really, in my experience. I've attended both semester and quarter system colleges and there's no real noticeable or significant difference when it comes to signing up for classes. If anything, a student on a quarter system will have more opportunities to sign up for a class since it could be offered up to 3 times in a quarter system, compared to twice on semester.

[@ColonelMarcellus]

@@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege I suppose I recall the days before computers, when you had to show up with all the other students in person and waste an entire day -- or more -- standing in lines and trying to find the course you need and hoping there's a spot in the class. It's only one more time per year but, yuk, what a pain in the neck!

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

That sounds like a headache! I'm so grateful that it's done online now

[@kyleangeles1984]

How do the units work? Like quarter units vs semester? Someone help lol I’m confused

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

I'm not really sure how to explain to you but you can find conversion charts online!

[@kyleangeles1984]

Hailey Dollar lol thanks I figured it out it’s 1 semester unit to 1.5 quarter units

[@Daniel15768]

Quarter system: yo you say you do understand the stuff? Haha. Here’s a test. Semester: you still don’t get it? Ight bet. I’ll give you a week and a half.

[@HaileyDollarGoesToCollege]

pretty accurate tbh