2008 Woodie Awards
Students debate over pros and cons of new schedule
Bryan Jackson
Issue date: 12/2/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
As the semester is winding down and finals week is approaching, students will begin to notice even more the effects of a 15 week semester as opposed to a 16 week semester.
This year Rockhurst University decided to test out a 15 week semester as opposed to the traditional 16 week semester they have used for years. The change has obvious benefits and disadvantages and has been met with mixed reaction from students.
The new 15 week semester meant a longer fall break, lasting five days from Wednesday, October 18 through Sunday, October 22. With last year's 16 week semester, fall break lasted only three days with Friday, October 14 the only day students got a break from classes.
The 15 week semester will also mean a much longer winter break as well. This year the last day of finals will be Friday, December 8 and the spring semester will not start until Wednesday, January 17. With the 16 week schedule last year, the last day of finals was Friday, December 16 and the spring semester started Wednesday, January 11. This year's winter break will last a full two weeks longer.
Students like sophomore Brian Roewe seem to be enjoying the increased time off from classes. "It is nice to have a couple of longer breaks during the semester to help break the monotony of classes," said Roewe.
There are some disadvantages of the shorter semester, however. With a full week of classes removed, professors have had to adapt their lesson plans to accommodate the new schedule. This could mean anything from cutting out material they normally would have covered to moving through material faster than normal.
Some students aren't enjoying the new 15 week semester as much as others. "My teachers seem to be throwing a lot more information at us than last year," stated sophomore Dan James. "I'd rather go to classes for 16 weeks than have my professors cram as much information as possible into each class."
This year Rockhurst University decided to test out a 15 week semester as opposed to the traditional 16 week semester they have used for years. The change has obvious benefits and disadvantages and has been met with mixed reaction from students.
The new 15 week semester meant a longer fall break, lasting five days from Wednesday, October 18 through Sunday, October 22. With last year's 16 week semester, fall break lasted only three days with Friday, October 14 the only day students got a break from classes.
The 15 week semester will also mean a much longer winter break as well. This year the last day of finals will be Friday, December 8 and the spring semester will not start until Wednesday, January 17. With the 16 week schedule last year, the last day of finals was Friday, December 16 and the spring semester started Wednesday, January 11. This year's winter break will last a full two weeks longer.
Students like sophomore Brian Roewe seem to be enjoying the increased time off from classes. "It is nice to have a couple of longer breaks during the semester to help break the monotony of classes," said Roewe.
There are some disadvantages of the shorter semester, however. With a full week of classes removed, professors have had to adapt their lesson plans to accommodate the new schedule. This could mean anything from cutting out material they normally would have covered to moving through material faster than normal.
Some students aren't enjoying the new 15 week semester as much as others. "My teachers seem to be throwing a lot more information at us than last year," stated sophomore Dan James. "I'd rather go to classes for 16 weeks than have my professors cram as much information as possible into each class."
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