This article is one of a two-part debate. The opposing argument can be found here.

De Anza is the only community college in California with the highest transfer rates and the quarter system is one of the reasons for it.

In the De Anza transfer report for spring 2017, seven of the top ten transfer universities are UCs, which primarily use the quarter system. While San Jose State, a university that uses semester system, comes first place in this list, it is primarily due to the location of the university.

Quarter system classes tend to end faster due to the limited time and this is a blessing for students. They can finish GE requirements faster and will have more opportunities in the time saved. If a student is uninterested in a class, the quarter system is beneficial as the class will end faster.

If a student took a wrong class half a year won’t be wasted.

The quarter system can also help students transferring to universities using both semester and quarter systems. Squeezing a class in a limited time increases efforts and difficulties for students. This might seem rigorous in the beginning but by the time they start the four-year institution, they will be accustomed with hard work.

For students transferring to a quarter system based university, they will be accustomed to the pace, putting them ahead of students from other community colleges. For students that transferred to semester system based universities, the extra time can be used to understand and revise the challenging coursework.

Overall, students coming from a quarter system based community college like De Anza would not be placed at a disadvantage throughout their educational journey. The difficulties from the limited time span prepares them for the competitive four-year institutions.