..to expect universities to offer a proper third term?!

[bamboowarrior]

Not just a reading week or two and an exam week or two??

What is ypur experience or understanding? Does ypur DC University offer proper summer tuition?

YABU

Summer Term is an examination term.

Seems the same now as it was 25 years ago. That’s how universities work. They’re not the same as school.

Most universities have two semesters not three. Some postgraduate courses will have dissertations for example over the summer but they don't have many contact hours by definition.

I do know someone who graduated early by taking a third semester but it's not the norm.

What was promised?

most unis now do two longer terms then exams in third term. my uni changed whilst I was there, and you still got the same number of teaching weeks - i prefered it as you could work through the full summer.

We have 6 weeks of exams. Then each paper is triple marked. Then there is an internal exam review, and finally an all day meeting with an external board of examiners. As I'm in a STEM department there is a practical component to the course, which requires days of group presentations and a rigorous review of the marking.

Note that academic staff are still working (supervising PhDs and postdocs and on industrial research) whilst undergraduates are not there.

It's been like this for ages OP.

Two 12 week semesters then exams is normal

I thought the same when my DS was at uni. You still have to pay the same fees and accommodation, despite no actual teaching.

Oxford and Cambridge have 3* 8 week terms. Pretty well all others have 2 semesters which will often be around 12 weeks...

Same amount of teaching time, split differently.

Just irritating to pay rent you don't really 'need'

We are still working! Assessment period is now upon us and will run until the end of May. Early June exam boards and then some time for staff to write grants etc before we start to organise / rewrite modules late summer. Students have always had long summer breaks. Academic staff are required to complete research activities etc. Not just teach...

Long summer means an opportunity to travel or get a part time job in preparation for the autumn.

Ds is in his 2nd week of tuition after Easter which will be followed by 6 weeks of exams/assesments. he is happy that classes stop at the end of this week as it gives him chance to prepare for his assessments/get his work completed.

Why have you decided to start two threads on this OP?

All of this in the arts and humanities too. And then in august we’re marking resits and deferrals. I’ve had to interrupt annual leave (which I can only take in August) to mark essays and dissertations.