For Princeton, new years bring exams, Deans' Date, anxiety

Minutes before the five p.m. deadline, crowds of onloookers in McCosh courtyard cheer on a procession of sleep-deprived undergraduates. They sprint to turn in freshly printed papers and end their prolonged sentences in Firestone library.

Though Deans' Date has already passed, final exams still loom ahead.

While students at Princeton are hauling through reading period, most college students around the country are still relaxing.

The tradition of administering finals after winter break is only shared with Harvard University, and many students wonder why Princeton's calendar does not conform to the national standard.

The grumbles of frustrated students rarely make it to the administration. However, complaining about finals has become a basis for bonding and the start to most any conversation.

"The system of having exams after Winter Break is the cruelest one imaginable," Jamie Loxton '06 said.

Even though most people do not study during this period, the guilt that you should be studying is always there . . . "

However, there are also students who enjoy the extra time afforded by winter break to get a head start on work. Still others, such as Joe Barillari '04, 'Prince' operations consultant, find that work does not get in the way of relaxation during winter break.

"Looming deadlines make ordinary diversions far more enjoyable," Barillari said.

The placement of final exams after winter break was a common practice among universities until the mid-seventies, when most schools decided to switch the two around.

Registrar Joseph Greenberg said he is satisfied with the system and only hears periodic inquiries into why the University has not followed suit.

"The reason that it has not changed," Greenberg said, "is that it has served us effectively. When we look at our priorities, as long as we feel it's a workable way of doing business, it's not worth [a change]."

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

Hank Dobin, associate dean of the college, notes that students at other schools are not necessarily happier with the more typical calendar.

"Interestingly, I've seen articles in the Yale Daily News complaining about Yale's calendar with a longer term, week-long reading period and week-long exam period," Dobin said. "They finish by Dec. 20, but there the students feel rushed. So, I think this may be a classic case of the 'grass is always greener' syndrome. No matter what the calendar may be, students are unlikely to think it is ideal."

In the past several decades, several groups of students have nevertheless protested and proposed calendar reforms including moving final exams before winter break.

Three notable attempts took place around the same time that other schools began to switch. Fifty-four percent of students polled in 1979 were in favor of the reform.

In a 1979 'Prince' article, Richard Nash '81 was quoted as expressing disappointment in student apathy.

"It seems like a general political trend on campus that people seem to be accepting the status quo," Nash said. Nash eventually opposed the calendar reform himself.

Other students have recently expressed concern that switching the schedule would rush exam period.

"As recently as four years ago, at student request, we implemented a policy so that no student has to take more than one exam per day. But to do that requires a longer exam period," Dobin said.

While the exam period was intended for all students, reading period has originally designed for upperclassmen, to accommodate junior paper and thesis research. Reading period first appeared on the calendar for freshmen and sophomores in 1939 amid concerns of waning intellectualism.

Though the structure of reading period is unlikely to change, the current debate over intellectualism has raised other questions concerning the calendar. Some students and faculty complain that 12-week semesters are too short, not allowing enough time to thoroughly cover the material at a comfortable pace.

On the other hand, professors can cover more material by teaching rigorously throughout all twelve weeks. At other schools, professors often decrease the workload near the end to make time for final paper writing, Dobin said. The Class of 1839 could not complain about short semesters. Commencement took place in late September. Faculty and students worked through the grueling heat of the summer months, as well as Christmas and New Year's. Only two short breaks were given in October and April. This system was finally changed in 1840.

Another quirk in the University's calendar reflects the University's dedication to the motto, "Princeton in the nation's service." The emergence of fall break in 1970, or election break, as it was originally called, gave students the opportunity to contribute to politics during congressional elections, in the area of their choice and in support of whomever candidates students endorsed. Students requested a renewal of fall break before the 1972 presidential election.

There are no current circumstances that clearly demand the alteration of Princeton's calendar, but it is yet to be seen whether students disappointed with the current final exam schedule will pursue their complaints with the administration.