This spring marked the end of Dean’s Date as the universal deadline for final papers, projects, and problem sets. Now, papers may be due at staggered deadlines during the exam period set by the Registrar.
At the semesterly Dean’s Date celebration held by Undergraduate Student Government (USG), many students interviewed by The Daily Princetonian expressed confusion about the change and noted that many traditions saw less attendance than in semesters past.
Dean’s Date now represents the “deadline of submission for term-length work.” The change was made following student concerns about the large number of assignments due on a single day.
USG continued to host their traditional Dean’s Date celebration on May 6, where they hosted multiple food trucks, ranging from Nomad Pizza to Tico’s Acai Bowls, and handed out free tote bags. At the event, students expressed mixed opinions on how they felt about the new Dean’s Date setup.
“The deadline doesn’t mean as much as it used to. My final paper isn’t actually due until the 12th,” said Brandon Gauthier ’25, an attendee of the celebration.
Ananya Solanki ’26, another attendee, noted that her schedule felt similar to previous years.
“I think not much has changed for me, because I’m a [molecular biology] major, so I didn’t have a lot of papers due anyway,” Solanki said.
Students also mentioned that this semester felt less conclusive, with Gauthier describing a lack of “finality” to the semester.
Yuka Childers ’26, told the ‘Prince,’ “I feel like a lot of people would leave right after Dean’s Date, and now there’s stuff due the 11th and the 12th and all the way up to the 16th.”
Some students noted that this change resulted in less stress on students. Bianca Del Campo ’27 said, “We all feel a lot more calm because now we have more time to work.”
Lily Parris ’25 told the ‘Prince,’ “I definitely prefer the more lax approach. I feel like I can have more interactions with professors and [ask for] extensions.”
Devin Panalal ’28, said, “I feel like it’s a bit more balanced, because I know for Spring, reading period is longer in itself, so not having all your papers due on one day, it’s easier to space things out.”
Now, final due dates range between Friday, May 9, and Thursday, May 15, marking the first semester without Dean’s Date. Each course gets its own final assessment date, whether it be for an exam, project, or paper.
Alina Ho ’26 noted confusion among professors’ communication of the due dates of specific assignments and finals.
“Some classes are like ‘everything’s due on Dean’s Date,’ and others are like ‘everything’s due by whatever day,’” she told the ‘Prince.’
“There’s kind of this general confusion as to what Dean’s Date is now,” Del Campo said.
Clara Docherty is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Lia Opperman is a senior News writer and the Director of Outreach emerita for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Southern N.J. and typically covers academic policy, national higher education, and University finances.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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