Three Colleges Unlike All the Others
There are many people who find it easier to perform at their full potential when they are allowed to concentrate on a single task, goal, or problem.
In most cases, such people prefer a single task, even if highly difficult, to two or three offering lesser challenges.
For them, a one-course-at-a-time academic structure makes more sense than a traditional semester system. Almost all online colleges offer degree programs in which students take a single course in a reduced time frame rather than taking several courses simultaneously during a traditional sixteen week semester.
While most people know how online degrees are structured, few seem to realize that three otherwise traditional liberal arts colleges also offer students the opportunity to take one course at a time. At Colorado College, the most selective of the three, the calendar is referred to as the Block Plan, which breaks the academic year into eight three and a half week segments. Courses may be one, two, or three blocks in duration, depending on their scope.
At Iowa's Cornell College, the academic year also consists of eight terms of three and a half weeks, with students enrolling in a single course per term.
Tusculum College, in Greeneville, Tennessee calls its system a focused calendar. The Tusculum calendar consists of four blocks per semester, with a four day break between blocks. Three optional blocks are offered during the summer.
The three colleges are very different in terms of selectivity, location, and other factors, but their academic calendars set them apart from every other college and university in the United States. And the web pages of the three highlight the same advantages their academic calendar affords students. The ability to continue a good discussion without the constraints of a 50 minute time limit. The freedom to remain in a laboratory as long as you wish. And, the ability to develop mastery of a subject by focusing on it without other demands.
If you like the idea of taking one course at a time and the advantages of a block plan appeal to you, you should check out one or more of these unique colleges.
Daniel Kane has counseled high school and college students for more than three decades. His websites cover subjects which include scholarships for college , financial aid, college admission, and online degree programs .
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