How the Academic Year Calendar Works

College and university calendars were traditionally designed to fit the agrarian calendar, starting in late summer to early fall, and concluding finally in mid-Spring. Most college and universities today still adhere to a calendar based on either quarters or semesters. Quarters are generally ten week terms with an additional week for final exams, and students enroll in three quarters for a typical full academic year. Fall quarters usually start in September and end before Thanksgiving. Winter quarters start in early January and end in March, while Spring quarters start in late March to early April and end in June.

Semesters are longer, generally about fifteen weeks long with a week of finals at the end. Fall semester usually starts near Labor Day and ends in mid to late December. Spring semester begins in January and ends in early May. But the ending and beginning times for academic terms doesn’t tell the whole story.

Students and parents should also learn the flow of the academic year. For example, every college or university allows student to change their schedules, that is, to drop or add classes — during the term. This is often a very short time, especially in academic quarters and may only last a few days, so if your student in considering changing his or her schedule, tell them to get on it right away!

During the term, students will take exams, often referred to as “midterms,” though they may not take place in exactly the middle of the term. In fact, most any exam that isn’t a final exam can be called a midterm by some. Exams often take student by surprise, even though they shouldn’t (see the post entitled “The Syllabus” And every academic term includes a formal period of final exams at the end. There’s also a set period for students to register for classes for the next term, and these dates are included on the college or university’s website, so you can track them as well. Also, colleges have specific dates by which students need to withdraw from a class if things aren’t going well. Withdrawing from a course isn’t the end of the world, and sometimes, it’s exactly the right thing for a student to do.  Parent alert: put the important dates such as add/ drop dates, any breaks, dates for course registration and payment on your calendar at home. In this way, you can prompt your student to remember them as well, or ask about them in your regular conversations with them.

Besides the obvious differences in length, there are other differences between quarters and semesters. While the pace of college is always faster than it is in high school, in quarters, the time just seems to fly by. Students will think they’re just gotten on campus and they’re already having an exam. And missing a class? don’t even think about it in quarters. Semester are more forgiving with missing a class or two, but it’s still not a good idea. Unfortunately, students in semesters can let the longer length lull them into a false sense of security, so they may skip a class or assignment thinking they have “plenty of time to catch up.” Well actually, they don’t. The pace of college classes is generally 2-4 times faster than high school classes, and much of that learning time takes place outside of classes. Help your student stay on track by asking questions such as “how many pages did you read last week for your Economics course? or, “As you look at your schedule for the semester, when do you think your busiest week will be? Asking these questions keeps them focused on anticipating what’s to come, and you also get them thinking about ways to pace themselves throughout the semester.

Academic calendars also include breaks, such as for Thanksgiving, holidays in December, and Spring Break. There may also be a brief break in the middle of the Fall semester. Most colleges on quarters don’t have breaks within their terms: they’re between the terms themselves.

Exam weeks are just that: weeks in which many courses will have exams, and preparing for them can be tricky. As you help your student plan for the term, ask them how they plan to handle studying during those challenging weeks. (Part of the answer should be that they’re preparing all the time, rather than just before the exam!)

They really aren’t much of a mystery, those academic calendars. Just head to the website for your student’s college or university and put the calendar dates on your personal calendar. When you mention something coming up to your student, they’ll be impressed!