2

What does "beginning of the year" mean?

  • example: He will graduate by the beginning of 2015.

Does this mean 1-January, January, Jan & Feb, etc...?

Median Hilal
  • 181

1 Answers1

2

It means "by the end of the first term that ends in that year." How late that might be depends on how the school year is broken into "terms". If there is a Fall Quarter, which ends before Christmas, saying that he will graduate by the beginning of mext year means at the end of Winter Quarter, or sometime around Easter (if he were to graduate at end of Fall Quarter, you would say "by the end of this year.") But if the school is on a two-semester system, and the First Semester ends in, say, late January, that's when they mean. And to further confuse the issue, most schools have formal graduation ceremonies only in June or at the end of the "usual" school year, so it might be more accurate to say, for instance, "he will complete the graduation requirements in March, and receive his degree in June."

Brian Hitchcock
  • 13,674
  • Actually, I don't intend what the author of the sentence mean, that's because who wrote it doesn't know this context you are talking about as English is not his mother tongue and he is not from the academic community. He wrote it upon my request. What I exactly want to know is: What will the reader understand of this sentence? I'm applying for a scholarship and the document containing this sentence is intended to be a prove for graduation before May 2015. This document will be submitted to a European committee, so, what can they infer of it? – Median Hilal Dec 12 '14 at 11:23
  • okay, if you need to prove you expect to graduate by May 15, yes, they will infer that 'by the beginning of the year' satisfies that requirement. But they could interpret it strictly, to mean "by January 1". So if they expect you to send a copy of your diploma, it might be difficult or impossible to supply it by then. Again, better to have been specific about when the term ends —that's when you will have "earned" your degree, regardless when it will be awarded. – Brian Hitchcock Dec 12 '14 at 12:10
  • Well, that's perfect. – Median Hilal Dec 12 '14 at 12:15