<p>I have noticed that Princeton seems to have an academic calendar that is about 2 weeks shorter each semester than most traditional colleges. </p>
<p>For example, next year classes start on 9/11/08 whereas other universities tend to start around 8/25/08 or before labor day. Then Princeton has a 1 week Fall Recess with classes ending about the same time as other schools on Dec. 12th. Then the month of January isn't spent back in the classroom but is a "reading period" with exams. The Spring semester starts on 2/2/09 whereas most schools will start their semester 1/5/09 or right after the Christmas break.</p>
<p>Why does one of America's premier institution have an abbreviated semester?</p>
<p>It seems almost like Princeton elects to short change their students. This might especially be true in engineering or science lab's, etc. Why is this? Aren't the students getting the short end of the stick so the faculty doesn't have to spend as much time with them or in the classroom?</p>
<p>its ridiculous to say that Princeton students are getting the "short end of the stick" with faculty interaction. With Princeton's junior paper and senior thesis requirements, it seems to me that Princeton students, regardless of an abbreviated schedule (a complaint that I, too, have never heard of) get even more personal contact with faculty members than students do at comparable universities.</p>
<p>As a parent of a first year, I am amazed at the amount of one-on-one involvement my daughter has had with each of her profs. I wouldn't say she is short-changed whatsoever.
On the other hand, the schedule is a remarkably friendly one.</p>
<p>If it is shorter it is due mostly to length of reading periods. Penn starts a week earlier (Sept 3) in order to finish the semester before Christmas. Princeton uses a format that is older that many of us were under (e.g. Stanford starts later). Penn will finish exams etc on the 17 of Dec, Princeton goes on break the 12th. Princeton comes back to start reading and exams Jan 5th, Penn starts new semester Jan 14th. Princeton take break between semesters of one week. Penn ends May 12, Princeton ends May 23. Don't think it is a massive difference, and Princeton uses reading periods differently -- incidently the longer reading periods are from the old days. Princeton stayed with the old way on schedules (semester ends after Christmas break). It is also not uncommon for Ivies to have a slightly shorter semesters than state institutions (in terms of number of class days -- which are mostly determined by the state). The foregoing dates are approximately right for next year, it was not worth the effort to make it perfect. As for short changing students, that comment makes no sense.</p>
<p>You don't have to, but it certainly helps. Reading period gives you a lot of time as well, but if you have a big paper to write, you should probably spend Christmas break studying for your other courses. That's what happened to me.</p>
<p>A lot of people don't seem to know about the reading periods at Princeton and Harvard. No one I know seems to LIKE them, but I suppose you can get used to anything.</p>
<p>And on the plus side, you get: Christmas Break --> Reading Week ---> Finals ---> Semester Break</p>
<p>Instead of Christmas break serving as your semester break.</p>
<p>Definitely not shortchanged in professor/teacher interaction. The shorter semester is a bit puzzling, although I'm not sure how different it would be anyway if two more weeks were tacked on. I think this makes everything more efficient :)</p>
<p>and the whole break/reading period/finals schedule didn't bother me at all as much as I thought it would. In fact, I rather appreciated it seeing as I was too tired before break to study more for finals.</p>
<p>Term length doesn't translate into getting more work done. I can't speak about what certain universities lack and compensate, but I will at least draw a telling comparison: Cambridge's year is the shortest in the UK, by a relatively wide margin.</p>
<p>It is the week preceding final exams (and the deadline for final papers) during which you have the opportunity to study and complete your final assignments.</p>