It’s May, and my TikTok For You page is full of college graduation content. It’s also full of people discussing their summer plans because they just finished school. But at Union? I’m writing this from my dorm, and moving out isn’t on my radar yet. This is because, unlike the vast majority of other colleges, we get out of school in mid-June. We also don’t go to school in December. That makes us unique, and I love it.
One time, I was on a Zoom call with people from other schools, and I told them I took my last fall term final on November 17th. They were shocked. This truly makes Union unique; quarter system schools have a similar academic calendar, but they go back for finals after Thanksgiving. We don’t. Our calendar is so unique that only two other schools I know have December off are Carleton College and Dartmouth College.
Believe me, I feel great satisfaction in November when I take my last final. I don’t like the idea of going home, spending a week eating Thanksgiving food, and going back to school for finals. My December without classes has been worth it thus far.
In my sophomore December, I spent my time applying for internships. The internship application process sucks, but I’m glad that I only had to worry about my applications at that time. Almost every other college student was taking finals while I was writing cover letters. As a result, a few days before Christmas, I got the interview invite that led to my first internship.
In December of my junior year, I went on Union’s mini-term to Argentina. I’m a Spanish minor, so I needed to practice the language. It was a remarkable experience. I expanded my communication skills and became more comfortable with the language. I also don’t want to spend a full trimester away from Union, so I’m glad I could go on a mini-term to still improve upon my Spanish. In my senior year in December, I will go on Union’s mini term to Spain to practice the language again.
Currently, in May, I’m glad that I’m still in school because I get to socialize. Being in college with your friends is a special experience, and if I went to another school, I know I’d be in my hometown, missing my college friends and waiting for my internship to begin. I’ve made Union friends from at least eight U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, and two other countries (that I’ve counted). I’m glad we’re all in the same place right now, thanks to our academic calendar.
However, I should also acknowledge a drawback to our calendar; since we aren’t in school in December, we get out 3-6 weeks later than other schools. This creates difficulties for internships, and I know people who’ve left campus early to start them. I’ve had to tell my recruiters that Union gets out abnormally late and I can’t come to orientation on June 2nd, the start of week 10 of spring term.
Both of my internships have accommodated my later school end date. For example, my recruiters moved up the start date for me and others on the quarter system. This also meant that my end date was later than other interns, but Union starts the fall term two weeks later than semester system schools, so I don’t care. The fact that I will start and end my internship later hasn’t been a big deal.
Additionally, I’ve seen professors accommodate people who’ve had to leave campus early. In one of my classes this term, my professor scheduled our term presentations early for people who have to leave campus for internships. I know another professor who lets people take his final exams early if needed.
When applying to Union years ago, I wasn’t thinking about the unique academic calendar, but now have grown to love it. I’m glad I picked this place over several semester schools. With the trimester system, I feel like I get to enjoy a unique college experience with help of our long winter break and late campus move-out date.
