Trimester VS Semester

[MEM]

Which is which?

Which do you prefer?

Stanford and Oxford - Trimester

Others - Semester

[shark]

SEMESTER mas di hectic.....
mas madaming time for fun :)

[aspen]

I guess it depends on the student. kung ano sa tingin nya mas magaan para sa kanya eh di dun siya. siempre both naman merong advantages and disadvantages so i guess it all boils down to the student.

[BadGiRL]

trimester

para bago kayo mag sawaan ng mga profs nyo tapos na yun term.

[virgo14]

tama ka BadGirl!!! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

[The Mighty Archer]

The only problem with trimester as in the case of La Salle is hindi pwedeng mag cancel ang class, just like today nalaman ko from my friends ko sa La Salle na may pasok kahit na may bagyo.

[WICKEDQUEEN]

TRIMESTRAL OF COURSE...WELL, FOR ME. KASE IF WE HAVE LIKE, 10 TERMS ON A TRIMESTRAL BASIS (3 YEARS 1 TERM), THE EQUIVALENT COMPARED TO SEMESTRAL IS 5 YEARS. O DIBA? HINDI NAMAN KASE AKO TAMAD MAG-ARAL E. FACT OF THE MATTER IS, I ENJOY STUDYING. THAT'S WHY I'LL BE TAKING UP MY MASTERS AFTER GRADUATION. AND WITH ALL THAT I WOULD GAIN LEVERAGE AND PREFERENCE FROM POTENTIAL COMPANIES OR EMPLOYERS.

[MEM]

Trimester because Oxford and Stanford use the trimestral systerm!

[LeeYahGrl]

I would rather have a Trimestral system rather than a Semestral system because the days would go by faster! It wouldn't be too dragging.

[vinncho]

In the TRIMESTER system which De La Salle Manila, Stanford U(U.S.A) and Oxford(England) plus the MBA schools of De La Salle, UP-Diliman and Ateneo employ - the pace is definitely faster than that of the SEMESTRAL system which in turn literally forces the student to study harder otherwise he/she will be left behind.

So the Trimestral system is definitely a lot tougher to survive for a lazy student than that of the semestral system.

[roosevelt69]

Originally posted by MEM:
Which is which?

Which do you prefer?

Stanford and Oxford - Trimester

Others - Semester

kung masipag ang undergrad student, maganda ang trimester, pero mahirap din yun dahil lagi na lang aral, ang daming nangyayaring maganda sa college life bakit kailangang puro ka na lang aral, hindi mo naman kailangang madaliin ang college life mo, minsan lang dadaan ang college life mo kaya i-enjoy mo na... kaya semester ang gusto ko...pero sa grad school maganda ang trimester para matapos na kaagad...

[simmie]

i agree! everything is in a fast-forward mode under a trimestral system... every minute is put to good use...

however, one setback is that students are not given enough time to absorb the lessons taught... there's lesser time to practice exercises and further discussion...
but, i guess, if you really want to learn then you can do those things yourself...

[antonn]

Lets put it this way - a TRIMESTRAL college system like De La Salle's is BAD for a LAZY student.

It is also a good incentive for a student to study harder otherwise they flunk or overstay in college.

Maybe thats the main reason why great universities like Stanford and Oxford pioneered its use rather than the semestral system.

[erman]

well, speaking from experience, the trimestral system works well... it basically covers the whole year... except for a month of summer and two weeks’ worth of christmas break... there's no time to feel lax compared to the semestral system... there’s only a week spared for enrollment/adjustment between terms... compared to a month for sem break— i think there’s a lot of time wasted sa sem system... i should know, i’m taking semestral classes now in my new school... and sad to say, mas nakakatamad compared to the trimestral system... o baka siguro nasanay lang ako sa trimestral system kaya nababagalan... BUT the good thing about the semestral system is that it gives me more time for extra-curricular activities... nag-e-enjoy ako! i.e. before i use to take photos for the lasallian on a monthly basis... now i can take photos weekly for kule (phil collegian)... mas enjoy ako sa kule kasi weekly siya and i can still focus on my acads... i think i can’t do this sa lasallian (if ever maging weekly siya)... so there, like i’ve said—i’m speaking from experience... trimester- mostly devoted sa acads ang mga studes (supposedly)... semester- may time for acads and more time for extra-curricular activities... so depende talaga sa priority ng student kung mas benificial ang trimester or semestral para sa kanya... depende talaga... so i guess parehong A-OK!!!

[§ínned™]

Semester for me. Aanhin ko 'yung trimester at fast-paced environment kung wala naman akong utak? ;)

§inned™

[yinyang]

Sinned:

Kung wala kang utak hindi ka talaga tatagal sa TRIMESTRAL system.

[MEM]

TRIMESTER OF COURSE!! Tingnan mo yung AMA at ATENEO, gumagaya na rin!

[Jennifer]

I'd go for semesters. Pag trimester kasi mabilis lumilipas. Ok lang sya kaya lang pagdating ng second term, sa sobrang dami ng bagyo, kadalasan wala ng nangyayari sa class. Exam ka na lang ng exam. Tapos wala ka na ngang naintindihan sa prof mo, tapos na yung term, parang wala rin.

[adlaw]

semester:

all study and no play makes adlaw dull...

[SnowGirl]

they both have their pros and cons...

semester takes longer to finish but at least hindi ka gahol sa oras. tsaka if you're absent in a trimestral system, you have a very hard time catching up....

i suppose it depends na talaga on a student's capacity to be able to handle pressure...

[BadGiRL]

yinyang: i think pinapalabas nyang ayaw nya ng trimestral system kasi wala shang utak. u misunderstood him naman e. http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

[angst]

I prefer the semestral system. At least, the treatment of the subjects are in-depth and not shallow. Schools who use the trimester system do not produce good students.

[lorenzo]

Originally posted by angst:
I prefer the semestral system. At least, the treatment of the subjects are in-depth and not shallow. Schools who use the trimester system do not produce good students.

Angst:

If what you claim were true then world class universities like Stanford U(U.S.A) and Oxford U(England) wouldn't be using it.

In the Philippines, De La Salle University Manila pioneered in the use of the Trimester system in the college level. Now even the MBA graduate schools of UP-Diliman and Ateneo de Manila have followed suit. They too have seen its advantages.

I prefer the Trimester system since it challenges the student to study harder. A lazy or non-studious student used to the slack in the semestral system definitely simply will not survive in the faster-paced trimestral system of De La Salle.

A trimestral college system simply is a better preparation for a college student when he/she goes into the real world which is increasingly faster-paced than before.

[blinkscreen]

Angst, true learning depends more on the student and the teacher than on the time alloted.

[makoto]

Originally posted by §inned?E
Semester for me. Aanhin ko 'yung trimester at fast-paced environment kung wala naman akong utak? ;)

§inned™

kung wala kang utak, ni semester hindi mo kakayanin!

[Fly High]

There is a bigger picture to a TRI-SEM system. It improves the cash flow for a school. Rarely do you see the classrooms vacant in a tri-sem system. Believe me, it greatly improves the financial aspects of a school.

The pitfall for this is well it's like you are hurrying the student to finish school. Personally, I feel students should enjoy studying and not get rushed through an important segment in their life. It has nothing to do with being lazy but a difference in Philosophy or Objectives of a school. I cannot imagine going through Philosophy and Theology at a fast pace. For me, a tri-sem only tests your memory but this is just my opinion.

AIM has mixture of both. The program initially has a semestral system on it's first year while it has a tri-sem on it's second year.(or is it the other way around?)

Peace!

[d_a_z_z_y]

what a semestral school can learn in 4 months, a trimestral school can learn in only 14 weeks... :D

see the difference?

[This message has been edited by d_a_z_z_y (edited 07-12-2000).]

[MEM]

Originally posted by d_a_z_z_y:
what a semestral school can learn in 4 months, a trimestral school can learn in only 14 weeks... :D

see the difference?

[This message has been edited by d_a_z_z_y (edited 07-12-2000).]
_____________________________________________________
4-week difference, right. But.... don't you know that the curriculum of one trimester is equal to the curriculum of one semester?
The only difference is that the lessons are taught more in a short span of time, thus, students would be able to learn more things in a short span of time.

For one year, in the trimestral system, students can learn up to 50% more compared to the semestral system. Kung baga 3:2 or three is to two!

And besides, no need for summer kung Trimestral, eh kung sapat yung semestral system, eh baket pa required mag-summer ang mga students?

[ollagram_12]

ewan!
based on experience, pag trimester, mas madaling makakuha ng mataas na grades.
kapag, semester, sobrang bagal ng oras. sobrang bigat pa ng load.

[christine]

Originally posted by angst:
I prefer the semestral system. At least, the treatment of the subjects are in-depth and not shallow. Schools who use the trimester system do not produce good students.

the only thing that is shortened in a trimestral system are the vacations. required hours for every unit are the same for both trimestral and semestral systems. it's not like a 3-unit subject is taken up in a lesser amount of hours in a tri-sem system! think about it...

[DMX]

Trimester vs Semester? well,have experience both and i say trimester is better not because i study in a trimester school.

[MEM]

That's a very fair judgement!

[d_a_z_z_y]

yes MEM... i understand you completely. i myself study in a school that follows the trimestral system. :)
What i mean on my last post is... kung ang semestral school 4 months pa bago nila matutunan ang isang subject, sa trimestral school 14 weeks lang... thus, fast learners sila! :D

Pero i still think that it is a case to case basis. It depends on the student or the course he/she is taking.

[This message has been edited by d_a_z_z_y (edited 07-13-2000).]

[mOkonG]

your right there gurl! carry on!

[mOkonG]

i think that studying in a trisem school is more efficient. more knowledge is learned in a short span of time...given that the educational system in the school where the trisem thing is implemented is good! in our genneration, time is everything...the faster we learn, the more we "throw the ball further!"...i agree that the trimestral thing can do more for students longing for more!...

[krait]

question, how many hours a week are consumed for a 3-unit course using the trimestral system?

[BadGiRL]

Originally posted by krait:
question, how many hours a week are consumed for a 3-unit course using the trimestral system?

3 hours.

[krait]

Originally posted by christine:
the only thing that is shortened in a trimestral system are the vacations. required hours for every unit are the same for both trimestral and semestral systems. it's not like a 3-unit subject is taken up in a lesser amount of hours in a tri-sem system! think about it...

Originally posted by BadGiRL:
3 hours.



If this is correct and most of the other posts here, then for a 3-unit course in a semestral system would be around 48 hours and 42 hours for the trimestral system.

[Rion]

The only difference between the two is the amount you pay for your tuition. Mas magastos pag trimester...

[d_a_z_z_y]

Originally posted by Rion:
The only difference between the two is the amount you pay for your tuition. Mas magastos pag trimester...



acutally, Rion, halos pareho lang. yun nga lang sa amin 3 times kaming magbabayad... sa semestral, 2 times lang.
pero, i think you are right. mas mahal din kasi we still have to pay for the miscellaneous-ek-ek fees every term http://www.pinoyexchange.com/grrr.gif

[This message has been edited by d_a_z_z_y (edited 07-14-2000).]

[JELOW]

Ang mga nagsusurvive lang sa trimester ay yung mga fast learners at masisipag mag-aral. Di kasi puwede ang parelax-relax. Kaya nga those schools who have trimester policies are one of the best schools in their area.

[BadGiRL]

Originally posted by krait:
If this is correct and most of the other posts here, then for a 3-unit course in a semestral system would be around 48 hours and 42 hours for the trimestral system.

--- yup. AND let's not kill each other over six measly hours. kasi, kahit na maging mukhang drenched cats kami pinapapasok pa kami. tsaka teachers namin d nag aabsent and may make up class kung absent. so even out din yun.

[jayveeesq20]

De La Salle's Trimester system is definitely not for the LAZY or NON-STUDIOUS student.

A LAZY student can breeze his/her way thru the longer & dragging semestral system. In the Trimestral system, the LAZY student will definitely fall behind and eventually flunk out if he/she doesn't keep up with the Trimester system's faster pace.

Also the De La Salle Trimester system trains the student to cope with the faster pace of work that he/she will encounter later on when he/she works in the business world.

This is why even world class universities like Stanford and Oxford have adopted this system over the more traditional semestral syste,.

[Chiriko Taka]

Well, as for me trimester is better because you get to finish your course immediately that means more time for you to decide to either get a masteral degree or study another profession, or just get a job early and have a career at a young age of maybe nineteen or twenty.

[dicaeser_18]

I used to be a student of University of the Philippines and I found out na matagal ang klase mo. But when I transfered at De La Salle University parang ang dali lang. Actually kapag trimester ka, masyadong hectic sa class. You have to finish the whole book as much as possible in one term, unlike sa mga two sems lang they have a time to finish it for 5 to 6 months. But the good thing about trimester is madali kang matatapos and malaki ang makukupit mo. Yikes...

[kirei041179]

semetral syempre

[gwaping]

There are a lot of pros and cons of the trimestral system. Students who don't have the passion nor the diligence to study hard will have a very difficult time in the trimestral system. It forces students to really study and pay attention because of the fast-paced system. If they don't, they risk missing the whole point of the lessons and may ultimately fail the course. Time comes when the teacher cannot simply spoonfeed everything to the student, forcin him/her to research on his/her initiative. However, the system is difficult for the fact that not all subjects in a certain course can be tackled with depth. There have been a lot of instances wherein the professor had to cut from the bottom of the syllabus because of the time constraint. Hence, if and when that happens, the students lose, because not all that was set out to be studied was actually studied.

With all this in mind, let's turn to the debate between sem and tri-sem. The trimestral system offers a fast-paced, pressure-packed life. This would tie in with "real" life, which also involves pressure. The system trains us to face these. The sem system, on the other hand, allows for in-depth study in the classroom, but encourages lazy students to drift by, because of the slow pace of study, and pass the course. I'm not saying this is true for all sem students, just as I wouldn't conclude that all tri-sem students are diligent. In the final analysis, it would really depend on the student's preferences as well as the teacher--how good the teacher is and how he/she can encourage true learning (which I can say I've been lucky to have had). But as far as learning by initiative, genuinely trying to grasp the info at hand, and surviving the pressure cooker, I'd go for the trimestral system anytime.

[gwaping]

There are a lot of pros and cons of the trimestral system. Students who don't have the passion nor the diligence to study hard will have a very difficult time in the trimestral system. It forces students to really study and pay attention because of the fast-paced system. If they don't, they risk missing the whole point of the lessons and may ultimately fail the course. Time comes when the teacher cannot simply spoonfeed everything to the student, forcin him/her to research on his/her initiative. However, the system is difficult for the fact that not all subjects in a certain course can be tackled with depth. There have been a lot of instances wherein the professor had to cut from the bottom of the syllabus because of the time constraint. Hence, if and when that happens, the students lose, because not all that was set out to be studied was actually studied.

With all this in mind, let's turn to the debate between sem and tri-sem. The trimestral system offers a fast-paced, pressure-packed life. This would tie in with "real" life, which also involves pressure. The system trains us to face these. The sem system, on the other hand, allows for in-depth study in the classroom, but encourages lazy students to drift by, because of the slow pace of study, and pass the course. I'm not saying this is true for all sem students, just as I wouldn't conclude that all tri-sem students are diligent. In the final analysis, it would really depend on the student's preferences as well as the teacher--how good the teacher is and how he/she can encourage true learning (which I can say I've been lucky to have had). But as far as learning by initiative, genuinely trying to grasp the info at hand, and surviving the pressure cooker, I'd go for the trimestral system anytime.

[MEM]

Totoo 'yan!

[mark_mark]

Originally posted by §inned™:
Semester for me. Aanhin ko 'yung trimester at fast-paced environment kung wala naman akong utak? ;)

§inned™

tama ka diyan.

[mark_mark]

Originally posted by §inned™:
Semester for me. Aanhin ko 'yung trimester at fast-paced environment kung wala naman akong utak? ;)

§inned™

tama ka diyan.

[MEM]

Originally posted by mark_mark:
tama ka diyan.


Kahit semestral yan, kung wala naman utak wala rin kwenta!

Sabihin mo yan sa mga taga STanford at Oxford!

[MEM]

Trimester Rules!!!

[MEM]

Originally posted by Chiriko Taka:
Well, as for me trimester is better because you get to finish your course immediately that means more time for you to decide to either get a masteral degree or study another profession, or just get a job early and have a career at a young age of maybe nineteen or twenty.

AMEN!

[qwerty78]

if i had a choice, i would choose the relaxed semester over the crammed-and-tight-schedule trimester.

see, here in DLSU, everythings crammed up. pero madalas, hindi pa rin namin natatapos ang syllabus. tapos, demanding pa yung extra-activities...

o well, at least it's preparing us for the real world. we get to know how to prioritize. :D

[simmie]

Originally posted by krait:
If this is correct and most of the other posts here, then for a 3-unit course in a semestral system would be around 48 hours and 42 hours for the trimestral system.

right. :D

[simmie]

Originally posted by qwerty78:
if i had a choice, i would choose the relaxed semester over the crammed-and-tight-schedule trimester.

see, here in DLSU, everythings crammed up. pero madalas, hindi pa rin namin natatapos ang syllabus. tapos, demanding pa yung extra-activities...

o well, at least it's preparing us for the real world. we get to know how to prioritize. :D]

in addition, we learn how to use our time -- every minute -- wisely and productively... :)

[MEM]

Originally posted by qwerty78:
if i had a choice, i would choose the relaxed semester over the crammed-and-tight-schedule trimester.

see, here in DLSU, everythings crammed up. pero madalas, hindi pa rin namin natatapos ang syllabus. tapos, demanding pa yung extra-activities...

o well, at least it's preparing us for the real world. we get to know how to prioritize. :D

mas relax... yes! aasenso ka ba sa trabaho mo kung parelax-relax ka?

[CK]

Trimester, same content in half the time! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

[red_door8]

Syempre, Trimester para masmabilis grumaduate! (lalo na pag walang bagsak!)

[MEM]

Originally posted by red_door8:
Syempre, Trimester para masmabilis grumaduate! (lalo na pag walang bagsak!)

pero 5 years parin ang MEM kahit anong mangyari! kahit trimestral man. heheheh

[MEM]

Originally posted by simmie
Originally posted by qwerty78:
if i had a choice, i would choose the relaxed semester over the crammed-and-tight-schedule trimester.

see, here in DLSU, everythings crammed up. pero madalas, hindi pa rin namin natatapos ang syllabus. tapos, demanding pa yung extra-activities...

o well, at least it's preparing us for the real world. we get to know how to prioritize. :D]

in addition, we learn how to use our time -- every minute -- wisely and productively... :)



Yeah, every minute and every second is important.

[MEM]

Trimestral yata sila!

[MEM]

The problem is this:

Nakakainggit talaga yung mga semestral schools. Why? Kase bakasyon na nila for 3 weeks!!!

Eh tayo??? Nov. 1 lang yata yung bakasyon natin eh. :(

[kaoru_girl]

pero kung sobrang hectic naman, di ba parang halos wala na ring pumapasok sa utak mo?! i mean, papasok... pero labas rin agad... hindi nagre-retain ba.

saka step by step process naman ang pag-cope up ng stress diba?! high school is more stressful than grade school, college is more stressful than high school at working in the real world is more stressful than college... eh kaso pag tapak ko ng 1st year sa lasalle, nagulantang yata ako na parang sinalubsob na agad lahat ng trabaho sa mukha ko... ang bilis naman ata nun...

[pAwE1]

Trimester!
it's much faster and the students acquire knowledge eventhough there is a sort of time pressure!

Here in Lasalle, we graduate faster, depends on the student of course!!!When one strives hard, he'll reap his crops earlier!

[cuzz]

semesters...less yung pressure :) and you enjoy long semestral breaks :D

[gladys]

i'm used to trimesters...had in high school and college :)

[gladys]

i'm used to trimesters...had it in high school and college :)

[dmon69]

Originally posted by krait



If this is correct and most of the other posts here, then for a 3-unit course in a semestral system would be around 48 hours and 42 hours for the trimestral system.


Yes, but the coverage is quite different. There are subjects (i.e. calculus) which takes four terms to complete in a trimestral system, while only two or three terms in a semestral system.


Of course, the pacing is also different. Trimestral systems tend to push the students harder than the other. Then again, it depends on which system one is used to.

[Hannibal]

This is one of my old posts in a different thread. I am posting it here since it's relevant to the topic.

For the school, a trimester is better from the standpoint of profitability and resource management. More revenue is generated since the turnover of students is faster. In addition, resources (eg laboratories and teachers) are used more (higher capacity utilization).

From the students' perspective, it depends on many factors. It eventually boils down to the "breadth" versus "depth" issue. Since time is a limited resource, there is usually a tradeoff between breath (more topics covered) and depth (more indepth knowledge). Even if the same number of hours comprise a trimester and a semester, the fact remains that it takes time for students to effectively digest what is taught. Effective learning requires frequent pacing and pausing to fully absorb and reflect.

It also depends on the weather and climate conditions of a particular country as well as other factors. If there are frequent typhoons, flooding, or other extraneous variables such as strikes, political events, etc., that can significantly reduce the number of school days in a school year, I don't think a trimester would be a good idea. A trimester is already a short period as it is, if you miss a substantial number of school days within a trimester, the quality of learning will be negatively impacted. Less time spent for teaching and studying leads to less effective learning.

In addition, it also depends on the quality of teaching and the quality of the students. Universities like Oxford and Stanford attract many bright students who are mostly at the top 90-99 percentile and class sizes are usually smaller than in the Philippines. In Oxford, for example, they have the tutorial method (one-on-one) of teaching whereby each student is assigned to a particular tutor (i.e., a professor) throughout his course. They have a more homogeneous student body unlike schools in the Philippines where students come from a broader background (eg from not so intelligent, mostly average, to a few bright ones). A faster pace of teaching works well in a school such as Oxford and Stanford since the students are mostly in the top percentile in terms of academic ability. I don't think this holds true in the Philippines, in which case a trimester may be penalizing most of the students by depriving them of a learning environment that's more suitable for them. [As an analogy, one should not expect a bicycle or a scooter to travel well in the high-speed superhighway.]

There are more pros and cons but these are my comments for now.

PS. By the way, I have tried it both ways - semester in Ateneo and trimester in Oxford.

[tesseract]

Stanford and Oxford use the trimestral system.

If I remember correctly, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Cambridge, Ateneo and UP use the semestral system.

Now, compare the quality of graduates produced between the schools that use the semestral and trimestral system.

And education cannot, and should not be rushed. If you have a heavy academic load, no matter how long a term is, you will be forced to prioritize in order to meet the load and excel in it. Even if you have 6 months to complete a book, you will still have to learn how to prioritize if you have your orgs, multiple tests, more books, and other things to complete.

The trimestral system, even with its advantageous "simulation of the real world," does not produce students who are as well-versed in the individual subject as those in the semestral system. And with three terms, you have three exams, three chances to prove yourself. With the semestral system, you only have 2.

What fits you should be best for you.