Let’s Talk Trimesters

Carleton has trimesters, but what does that mean? In high school, I had semesters and quarters all on the block schedule, so I would have four classes a day, five days a week. In college (for the most part) you won’t have a class every day of the week (unless it’s the language requirement at Carleton), but most schools have their academic year split into two sections, aka semesters. At Carleton (because we are so fun and quirky) we have trimesters.

What the heck is a trimester and how do I explain it to my relatives?

Being on a trimester system means that we have three terms throughout the academic year: fall, winter, and spring. At Carleton, they are each 10 weeks long, with reading days and a finals period in the end. When I was deciding which colleges I was applying to, I found myself wondering if the trimester would be something that would work well for me. Now that I am six terms into my Carleton experience, I would say that I am definitely a fan. That being said, like most things, there are always pros and cons (one of them is explaining to my friends and family back home how the trimester works when I see them on holidays).

What are the cons?

• Classes are only 10 weeks
  • Everything has to be learned in 10 weeks instead of the typical 14 within a semester! That means when you’re doing things such as ~learning a language like Latin~ there is so much to be learned in a short amount of time.
  • If you really love a class, it is a bit sad when it comes to an end so soon…
• It is so fast-paced
  • This is basically a continuation of my previous point because it’s so true. Carleton is an academically rigorous school, and not only is the content difficult, but because you learn so much in a short amount of time, missing a class means you miss a lot (luckily we have some incredible professors to help with that). If you get behind, it is often hard to get caught up (do not fret, it is not impossible).
• The terms don’t quite line up with other colleges’ semesters
  • This isn’t actually that big of a deal… Basically, my non-Carleton friends often start their school year earlier than me, and end earlier. And our winter breaks have less overlap, but keep reading to learn why. Also studying off-campus can sometimes be a bit of extra organization if you are doing a non-Carleton program, but people do it all the time.

What are the pros?

• Classes are only ten weeks
  • Hate your class? No problem, it will be over quickly! (Don’t worry, I have yet to take a class at Carleton that I hate). That being said, if you didn’t get into one of your top choice classes, you’re trying to complete a major or liberal arts requirement, or you have a class that you thought you knew what it was about but then you take it and you realize you didn’t read the class description very well because this was absolutely NOT what you were expecting and now you’re in the class for the rest of the term (haha not like I am speaking from experience or anything…) anyway basically everything will be okay! It’s only ten weeks.
  • Classes seem to be the perfect length. They never get boring, but you have enough time to get into some of the deep stuff. Best of both worlds!
• It is so fast-paced
  • At this point, you may be thinking wait a minute weren’t these last two points on the cons list..? Yes, yes they were. Though there are negatives there are also positives! I love how much I can learn in such a short amount of time. Looking back at the end of each term I am always shocked by the amount of information I have accumulated in my brain by the end of each of my classes. Since there is so much to learn, I am almost always engaged too (rarely am I bored). There is always so much happening on campus, the weeks just fly by!
• You only have 3 classes
  • Considering I have been talking about how fast everything is I have good news people: you only have to take three classes at once. If you’re feeling up for it, you can apply to overload (take extra classes), or if you are taking particularly tough classes, or working on your comps as a senior, you have the capacity to underload (take less than 3) as well.
  • Based on some quick math– keep in mind we have trimesters and three classes a term–you get to have 9 classes per year! That’s 36 classes at Carleton (though to be honest there are so many cool courses I wish I had more).
• Winter break is long!
  • We have a six-week winter break (that’s right, read it again). Six whole weeks! You may be wondering Hannah what could I do with all that time, and the answer is anything and everything! You can work, visit your family, stay on campus, find a mini-internship, travel, career shadow, or do an externship!
• Each term has a different vibe.
  • This is kind of a weird pro, but to me, each term brings something different (though it’s hard to explain and it might be something you have to experience for yourself!).

Concluding Thoughts

Moral of the story, I prefer the trimester to the semester system. Though it’s challenging, it’s manageable, and the challenge is what helps you grow. It works better for my brain (most of the time), and it feels like things are always going on here at Carleton. Even though college goes by so fast, there are people here to support you along the way. Best of all, you get to learn a lot with other people who love to learn a lot too.

Hannah is a sophomore majoring in Geology and minoring in Classics. Born and raised in Minnesota, she considers herself somewhat of an expert on MN winters. At Carleton, she fills her schedule with writing for the Admissions blog, working as a CCCE Communications Fellow, taking flute lessons, and increasing voter engagement on campus. When Hannah isn’t in class, she can be found tossing a frisbee with Syzygy, looking at rocks, reading, walking and skiing in the Arb, thrifting, and hanging out with her besties. Meet the other bloggers!