Academic Departments Discuss Different Penalties for Late Theses

Perhaps the surest sign of spring in Princeton came last Friday as seniors in the Wilson School and the Politics department jumped into the Wilson School fountain to celebrate turning in their theses.

For those who didn't finish in time to frolick in the fountain, each department has an individual policy on turning in late theses.

Missing the train

The politics department enforces a penalty of one-third of a letter grade for every two days the thesis is turned in late. Approximately 10 percent of seniors turn in their theses late every year, according to Dorothy Dey, the administrative assistant in the politics department.

This year, 14 out of the 117 seniors in the department turned in their theses late, Dey said. The penalty can, however, be waived. "We accept excuses and submit them to the Undergraduate Committee, which is comprised of students and faculty, who then review them and make a decision as to whether or not the penalty will be waived," Dey added.

"In general, late theses are due to thinking that it takes less time to proofread and bind than it actually does . . . but death in the family or illness during the week before the due date does occur. These students are operating on very little rest," Dey explained.

The Economics department enforces one of the most stringent policies in the University. The final grade is lowered one-third of a letter grade for each day the thesis is late. "We are strict, I have to say," said an economics department administrator who declined to give her name. "This is the day it's due, and that's when we want it," she said. Not many theses are turned in late, according to the source, who claimed that at most one or two theses are late per year.

No student in the English department has turned in a thesis late in the past two years, said Marcia Rosh, a department secretary.

"The basic policy is a point off per day, but every student writes a letter to a committee, who decides entirely – so if you have a valid excuse, zero points may be removed," said Rosh.

The History department deducts one-third of a letter grade for every three days the thesis is turned in late.

"I can't specify the exact number (of late theses), but it's not large at all," said Jean Babey of the history department. "We try to hold firm because they've had all year to work on it," she added.

"We try to make the deadline day as festive as possible," she said. "We have T-shirts, lollipops and cookies."

Babey said that occasionally students submit their theses well before the deadline date.

Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"Once we had a girl turn it in in January. She had a boyfriend who had to turn it in early for one reason or another so she just kept right up with him."