Students respond to first semester at Wright State

For those who are returning Wright State students, the changing of trees’ colors may bring back fond reminiscences of the previous quarter system, in which the approach of fall meant the end of the quarter. However, on the semester system, the end is not for another two months. “I need Fall Break back,” student Charlie Swafford said. The decision to change from quarters to semesters was part of a call from the University System of Ohio to put public Ohio schools on the same academic calendar.  In addition to Wright State, five other universities also made the change to the semester system this fall. This transition was not done on a whim. Wright State’s Board of Trustees voted to transition to a semester calendar on March 27, 2009, and the university has been researching the most effective implementation of the semester system since then. “Over 90 percent of the universities in the U.S. and nine of the 13 public universities in the state of Ohio are currently on semester calendars,” states WSU’s Semester Transition Advising website said.  “The transition should produce a calendar that is in alignment with these universities to facilitate collaborative academic programs, student transfer and articulation.” The need to line schedules up with those of other schools is a trend that is moving across the nation.  One of the largest issues that students may have experienced with the quarter system is the difficulty in finding jobs throughout the state, since by the time quarters ended in June, many student internships and job opportunities were already taken by other students who were already on summer break. “I didn’t like quarters,” student Dan Douglas said.  “Everything was more condensed and I like the longer classes.” Students may have also noticed the “Take 5” promotions on campus, encouraging undergraduates to take fifteen credit hours in order to graduate in four years. For now, though, many students are more focused on the fact that classes are not in the process of wrapping up. “I miss the Fall Break,” student Christy Ludwig said, a sentiment that is echoing throughout the campus.