Editorial: Time off

Under current university policy, a student wishing to take time off must take off at least a full academic year. This policy dissuades students from leaving when needed and discourages students who have taken time off from returning. In many cases, a year away from the University is more financially, academically and socially disruptive than a semester away. Thus, the Board recommends that the University accommodate students seeking to spend only a semester away from campus.

It is in the University and student body’s interest to allow students to take time off when necessary. Students under emotional or medical duress may see their academic performance decline and may be a danger to themselves or others. Students having the flexibility to use a semester to pursue alternative paths outside of Princeton could enrich their personal and academic development. Currently, undergraduates can go abroad for a semester or year on a pre-approved program for course credit. Other experiences, however, like internships, travel, political campaigning, artistic pursuits or athletic training — while not available for course credit — are just as, if not more, enriching to a student’s college experience.

Furthermore, it is important that time away from Princeton is offered and available for all students. Under the current policy, athletes and other students with seasonal commitments are unable to take a full year off, even when needed for medical or emotional reasons. Conversely, the University should strive to accommodate students pursuing artistic or athletic careers outside Princeton — either professional or amateur, as was the case for a number of students competing this past summer in the Olympics. This policy, in turn, would encourage students with professional or alternative aspirations to attend Princeton with a guarantee that their needs would be accommodated.

In recent years, especially with the introduction of the Bridge Year Program, the University has moved toward encouraging students to have meaningful learning experiences outside of academia. Removing barriers that discourage students from pursuing similar outside opportunities would be a natural extension of this policy. Allowing students to participate in such activities during a single semester, rather than maintaining the daunting minimum of a year, would promote outside learning and make it more practical.

Admittedly, such a policy change would involve complicated logistics. Most other colleges and universities, however, allow students to take semesters off, and it is feasible at Princeton too. The biggest complication for Princeton students wishing to take only a semester off would involve completing independent work. Even this, however, is not an insurmountable barrier. Junior papers would be finished in the students’ two junior semesters, whenever they occur, and a thesis could be spread out over the two final semesters, even if this involved a summer in between. For departments requiring only one JP, the JP could be completed in the same manner as a thesis.

Though departments, advisers and administrators would have to be more accommodating and cope with minor logistical issues, helping students have more flexibility whether to recover from mental, emotional or physical distress or to uniquely enrich their college experience should ultimately override these concerns.