First day of Fall 2026 classes marked by student excitement

Students celebrated the first day of classes, known colloquially as FDOC, on Wednesday with the annual Undergraduate Student Government event at McCosh Walk. Despite the sprinkle of rain, students began lining up as early as 7 a.m. to take a photo with the “FDOC” banner, grabbing bagels and coffee on their way out.

At the USG booth, U-Councilor Arjun Menon ’27 said the preparation for the FDOC event was smooth.

As the day’s earliest classes started at 8:30 a.m., only 30 minutes after the event began, some students shared their wishes for an earlier start time. Calene Lee ’29, who arrived at the line at 7:35 a.m., shared, “Last year I slept in and the line was too long, so … this year I need a photo.”

USG’s festivities officially ended at 10 a.m., and some students said they hoped for a longer event window. Oliver Chalmers ’30 told The Daily Princetonian, “I am here really early in the morning, because my classes start at 9:30 and go all the way for a couple hours, so I would have enjoyed coming here a little bit later in the day.”

However, many students expressed excitement about the opportunity to enrich their studies with the start of a new semester.

“In high school, a lot of my subjects were very generalized,” Chalmers said. “I’m really excited to start taking more specialized classes.”

Anh Dao ’27, who is pursuing a Chinese Language minor, highlighted his excitement to take upper-level “content Chinese courses where they teach in Chinese rather than teach you the language.”

Kinga Strzalka ’30 said she “honestly” is most excited for her writing seminar, WRI 173/174: Digging Into the Garden State. Writing seminar is a required course for first-years with a reputation for rigor.

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Althea Aguel ’27, an electrical and computer engineering major, said she is “really excited” for her French course. “I only started learning French because of Princeton, and I think it will be a fun way to end the school experience. It feels really full circle,” she told the ‘Prince.’

Similarly, Alpha Zhang ’29 said he is excited for FRE 217: Revisiting Paris, which will bring him to Paris this semester. He had that class on FDOC, he told the ‘Prince.’

Zhang is a former News contributor for the ‘Prince.’

For Katherine Seymour ’27, a molecular biology major, the new year represents a chance to see her friends and take interesting courses. “I’m excited to spend time with my friends, and my class schedule is a bit chiller this semester,” she told the ‘Prince.’ “I’m excited for the EEB class I’m taking, it’s about immune systems,” referring to ecology and evolutionary biology.

Older students were nostalgic about their time at Princeton.

“Honestly, just enjoy it. Talk to everybody. Make as many friends as you can. Try out every club,” Ixtle Montuffar ’27 offered as advice to the new cohort of first-years. “Pursue all of your interests. Enjoy your time here.”