You may have already heard about the trimester system in Western universities.

你或许听说过西方大学的三学期学制。

For example, in the UK, an academic year is usually divided into three semesters, each made up of 10 weeks – the autumn semester (October to December), the spring semester (January to March) and the summer semester (April to June).

以英国为例，一学年通常被分为三个学期，每学期时长为10周——分别是秋季学期（10月-12月）、春季学期（1月-3月）以及夏季学期（4月-6月）。

This system is believed to bring more flexibility when scheduling classes, internships and personal projects.

这一学制被普遍认为增加了安排课程、实习和个人项目上的灵活性。

Now China is introducing the system to its own students.

现在，中国也在逐步引进这种学制。

In fact, nearly half of the country’s Project 985 universities have already added the third semester into their academic timetables.

事实上，将近半数的985高校已经在校历上增加了第三学期。

But our trimester system is a little bit different from that in the West.

但我们的三学期制和西方略有不同。

Take China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) as an example, which has started to implement the new schedule from this month.

以中国政法大学为例，从本月起，中国政法大学开始实施新学制。

Its academic year will now be divided into the autumn semester (September to January), the spring semester (February to July) and the summer semester (July).

一学年将会被分为秋季学期（9月至次年1月），春季学期（次年2月至7月）以及夏季学期（次年7月）。

Lu Chunlong, director of the dean’s office at CUPL, told The Beijing News that during summer terms students would be able to take classes in other subjects. They are also encouraged to join courses in the form of social practice and internships.

中国政法大学教务处处长卢春龙在接受《新京报》采访时表示，在夏季学期中，学生可以选修其他专业的课程，同时也鼓励同学们参加社会实践以及实习形式的相关学习活动。

It’s hoped that this new method will expose students to a broader and more diverse academic environment and help them to get their career plans on track.

希望这种新方法能令学生们接触到更广阔、更多元的学术环境，帮助他们的职业规划走上正轨。

However, some students worry that summer term courses are too condensed, pointing out that they would have to attend classes every day without having time to digest what they’ve learned.

然而，一些学生却担心，夏季学期排课过于密集。他们需要每天上课，却没有时间来消化学过的知识。

This is why Lu suggests that students don’t overdo it during summer.

这也是卢春龙并不建议学生们在夏季学期选过多课程的原因。

One course is the best, two tops, she advises.

一门课最好了，顶多两门， 她建议道。

But no matter the changes in academic schedules, it’s how you plan your studies that really matters.

但不论学制如何变化，如何规划好自身的学习才是最重要的事。

Xiong Bingqi, vice-president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said in an interview with Beijing News, What’s important is not how the academic year is divided, but how the studying contents are distributed among each term.

21世纪教育研究院副院长熊丙奇在《新京报》的一次采访中谈道，学年如何划分并不重要，真正重要的是如何分配好每学期的学习内容。