The Senior Prefects postponed College Sweatshirt Day, a tradition where seniors wear merchandise from the college or university they will attend, from May 1 to May 20 due to delays in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Sweatshirt Day is held annually on May 1 on the commitment deadline for most colleges in the United States.

Head Prefect and Print Managing Editor Davis Marks ’24 said that errors in the FAFSA system caused uncertainty for some students regarding college commitments.

“Due to the FAFSA delays this year, many students who are relying on financial aid have not heard how much aid they will receive from schools yet,” Marks said. “As a result, these students do not know what school they can commit to yet, and many schools pushed their commitment deadline back by a few weeks.”

Marks said the decision was made to promote the community among the senior class .

“The Senior Prefects felt that pushing Sweatshirt Day back would allow for the tradition to remain inclusive of everyone,” Marks said. “ Seniors choosing to not wear their sweatshirts on a day where students at other schools did was a nice moment of unity. In our last few weeks together, we are all committed to celebrating and uplifting each other.”

Isaac Tiu ’24, a student who applied for financial aid using the FAFSA, said he appreciates the rescheduling of Sweatshirt Day, as it recognizes students on financial aid.

“I’m really excited about the postponement because the FAFSA delays have impacted my college decision timeline, and without the postponement, I wouldn’t have had anything to wear on May 1st,” Tiu said. “It’s nice that it was postponed for the few students on financial aid even though most of our school isn’t relying on that. I felt valuable knowing that [Senior Prefects] were acknowledging my college experience even though it is uncommon at our school.”

Evette Um ’24 said that although the decision was considerate of some seniors, others still wished it happened on the initially planned date.

“It was a thoughtful decision to postpone Sweatshirt Day and allow certain seniors to have some more time to decide where they are going, given the circumstances of FAFSA,” Um said. “But, I do feel like many of us seniors do know where we are headed to, regardless of the delays. And to be honest, it was disappointing to some seniors, as this does go against the traditional May 1 Sweatshirt Day.”