In defense of January finals

How many times have you had this conversation with friends at home?

You: "I'm going back to school on the 3rd."

Friend: "What? Why? I don't go back until the 24th!"

You make a shabby attempt to explain that Princeton gives us exams after winter break for some inscrutable reason.

It's probably one of the biggest complaints people have about this school, but I have some words to say about the January finals that cause so much anguish.

First off, the holidays are filled with awkward family gatherings, and studying for exams and writing papers is a great excuse for missing Great Aunt Gertrude's annual Christmas party at the old folks' home. "Sorry, Aunt Gertrude, I won't be able to come to your party. I have a paper due on Monday!"

Do you really want to eat more strawberry Jello pretzel salad? I thought not.

The same goes for high school friends. The more you stay at home, the lower your chances of seeing your high school flame at the mall.

Speaking of the mall, the more you study, the less time you'll have to shop at the post-Christmas sales. Think of how much money you're saving by writing that paper - it's like 10 bucks a page!

Another reason it's great to have exams after break is that you can stay indoors. If you live in the Northeast, you're not going to want to venture out to the December tundra unless it's absolutely necessary. Got a younger sibling begging you to have a snowball fight and get frostbite? "Sorry, Billy. I have to write my JP." And don't even get me started on the dangers of sledding.

As Princeton students, we put the winter holidays in a special perspective. On New Year's Eve, we have a collective anxiety attack and start writing papers that are due the following week. If your New Year's resolution was to stop procrastinating, here's your opportunity to start the year off on the right foot!

Don't worry if you don't have time to enjoy your winter break - there's always Intersession! You can go home right when all of your friends are going back to school. You're kind of forced to relax; there's nothing else to do.