1, term: it is the academic system adopted by most schools. In the traditional semester system, the nine-month school year is divided into two semesters, the longest 16 weeks, and some schools offer the longest 18 weeks. Usually, each semester has about fifteen weeks of teaching time and a week of final exams. The first semester begins at the end of August, and there is usually orientation week for freshmen, which ends in the middle and late June of that year. The second semester begins in early January and ends in late May. After the formal semester, students can also participate in the "summer school" freely.
Yale University, for example, is a typical semester school. During the school year of 20 10-20 1 1, the dormitory will be opened on August 25th of 20 10, and the school will start in September of 1/kloc-0 in February. The spring semester starts from 20 1 1, and the spring break is held from March 4th to February 1, and the final exam lasts from May 3rd to 1 1. The summer vacation officially began on May 23rd. After that, there will be a big summer vacation for three months. Many students will use the summer vacation to practice, work or study summer credits.
Credit is calculated as Semestercredit, and one hour of class every week is one semester credit (1 semester credits 1 semester hours). Usually three hours a week, students can get three credits. In a school with one semester, the average student needs 120- 128 semester credits to apply for graduation.
2. Quarter/semester: Most universities in California adopt a quarterly system. In addition, some schools in the east also adopt this academic system, such as Dartmouth College and drexel mentioned below. The academic year system divides a year's curriculum into four seasons, namely spring, summer, autumn and winter. Every season has a $ term, and each semester is only two and a half months (ten to twelve weeks, and about eight to ten weeks in summer) The curriculum is very tight. Foreign students studying in institutions that adopt this system must attend at least three academic seasons (pay tuition fees three times) each year to maintain their student status. If they are not registered in any academic season except summer, they must report to the school authorities. Summer school offers formal courses, but they are optional. One hour of class every week is one academic quarter credit (1 quarterly creditor 1 quarterly hour). Students study 14- 18 credits per semester on average, and generally need 180- 192 credits to apply for graduation. Due to the short class time and frequent exams (after one-month mid-term exam and one-month final exam), students have to get into the state as soon as they start school, and they have to be able to adapt to constant tension.