Deciding on a college to attend is often a challenging task; people consider many factors like location, population, major, social life and alumni network, just to name a few. In my experience of choosing between UCLA and the other colleges I was admitted to, something that both interested and concerned me most about UCLA was the quarter system — specifically the timing adjustment after attending semester system schools up until that point. I worried about the pressure to learn information at a faster pace, an extra round of exams and starting school a month later compared to other schools and consequently, all of my hometown friends. I accepted my admissions offer to UCLA despite my personal worry about the quarter system.
As my first year at UCLA comes to a close, I’ve not only adjusted to the differences between semesters and quarters but also gained a new perception of time. Bruin to Bruin and prospective students (which I find to have the same concerns about the quarter system that I did), I assure you that the quarter system has a speedy learning curve.
In high school, I valued the length of a semester. With time, various topics and perspectives were covered in each class. I felt assured that if I were to miss a few days of school in a given week, there was a good chance that I could both quickly and easily learn the material that I missed. I developed a deep understanding of each unit in class because I became accustomed to a pace that allowed for pauses to regroup and feel fully prepared before moving forward. I typically had one round of midterms followed by one round of finals for each class I was enrolled in, granted that classes required tests rather than some sort of project. With the dreaded cumulative exams, studying for finals felt like a lost cause at times. There was information I had to review that I didn’t even remember learning in the first place, though the small classroom environment allowed for ample questions and review sessions with peers. Despite the plethora of information learned over a long period of time, I felt comfortable with the semester system and that comfort strayed me away from excitement about UCLA’s quarter system.
Before beginning my first quarter at UCLA, I was stressed about having a more difficult time enrolling in the classes I needed since we, as students on the quarter system, enroll an additional time throughout the school year than students attending a school on the semester system. While this worry lingers when it comes time to enroll in courses for the next quarter, it has not been a defining feature of my quarter system experience. Rather, it’s the frequent exams and less time in each class that stick with me most.
For incoming Bruins worried about adjusting to fast-paced classes that seem to end before they begin, I would recommend enrolling in a Cluster course. Clusters are unique in the way that they ease first-year students into the quarter system since they last all year long. This is only one of the classes you will take in a quarter, and the other classes may pan out differently.
I noticed that professors would usually fly through information during lectures as I frantically attempted to write every word down on my computer. Some lectures cover an entire unit of information that you are expected to be tested on, and just sitting in class is not enough. With a plethora of information crammed into each lecture, I found it necessary to take real time to study (much more real than the amount I did in high school, though this is a college-level course). I often have to pull up lecture slides after class, and take my time to re-write my notes as to semi-teach myself. While this may be a drawback of the quarter system, I often see it as a way to hold myself accountable and teach myself discipline as a student. This taught me how important organization and time management truly are in college. I learned to keep track of assignments earlier, review notes more frequently and prepare for exams steadily instead of cramming everything at once.
Another aspect of the quarter system that surprised me was how quickly classes end and new ones begin. At first, 10 weeks sounded impossibly short. And it is. By the time finals arrive, it feels as though the quarter just started, yet there is also a sense of accomplishment because of how much information you learned in such a short period of time. The benefit of this is that if a class does not go as planned, or you are not as interested in the content of a class as you thought you would be when enrolling, each quarter ends relatively quickly and it will soon be time for a fresh start with a new round of courses.
Looking back, my fear of UCLA’s quarter system came largely from uncertainty and my comfort with what I already knew. The challenge of adjusting to a new system is manageable, and teaches you new things. My perspective of time is one of the most significant changes I observed. I now see how much can be accomplished in only 10 weeks. While the fast pace can feel overwhelming at times, it also creates motivation to stay focused and engaged. What once intimidated me most about UCLA ultimately became one of the experiences that helped me grow the most academically.
