READ THIS: ANSWER IF THE COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY YOU GO TO IS PUBLIC, ON THE SEMESTER SYSTEM, AND HAS FINALS AFTER WINTER BREAK (USUALLY IS 2 OR 3 WEEKS FOR COLLEGES IN OTHER COUNTRIES BEFORE FINALS) AND/OR YOU KNOW A PUBLIC COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY ON THE SEMESTER SYSTEM THAT HAS FINALS AFTER WINTER BREAK STILL AS OF THIS COMING ACADEMIC YEAR.
I am asking this because I just really want to know. I know that in the past, it was the norm for most colleges and universities on the semester system to have finals after winter break, but now today, only one private university on Ivy League has finals after winter break, which is Princeton University (Harvard had finals after winter break until 2009), and just a few not-so-well-known private colleges and private universities on semester system have finals after winter break. I tried searching up a few public colleges and public universities in random states to see if any on semester system still has it after winter break, as well as all public colleges and all public universities in California and Georgia, and haven’t yet seen one public college or one public university in the US or Canada on semester system having finals after winter break.
Fun Fact: Did you guys know that many school districts across the country now has high schools (and middle school in a few districts) to have finals before winter break by having the school year start earlier for the whole district? (If you had finals after winter break for at least one of your school years before college) Well, in my school district, starting school earlier has always been the norm for me. I didn’t know that there were high schools that had finals after winter break until I was a senior. School districts with earlier starts are getting more common in California, but are the norm in most school districts in NM, OK, KS, NE, KY, TN, IN, AZ, GA, and a few others. In fact, most school districts in those states mentioned also have a fall break additionally (in early October), and make there spring break be in mid-March instead of during Easter specifically. I had no 1 week break before winter break until I was in 6th grade, which is the Thanksgiving Break (no school that week). Some of those school districts have their fall and spring break be 2 weeks long instead, and those ones usually have school start in late July (That’s too early according to my perspective and experience!) I began school at latest August 16 and at earliest August 11 for the traditional calendar (I was on year round for 1st and 2nd grade). School on traditional calendar for me ended at latest June 2 and at earliest May 25. It always felt awkward when school on traditional calendar ended in June (happened to me in 4th, 5th, and 10th grade).
When I saw school districts calendar go from late August/early September to June (mid to late June) I thought that it was awkward, especially when I saw that finals was after winter break! [I asked in my head: "Who would want to spend the winter break studying for finals instead of having fun and relaxing!?!] When I heard that school began early September or late August in some areas when I was young, I thought that they still went until late May.