Starting the beginning of the school year after summer break can be bittersweet. Bitter, leaving your home, family and home friends once again. Sweet, reconnecting with friends, roommates and even professors we actually enjoy.
Before you even know it we’re down to the wire scrambling to finish projects and cram for exams finishing the semester off.
Do you get a sigh of relief once the semester is over and you get to return home for almost a month?
Alexas Flax, senior and resident, said, “It feels like an escape from the world. I’m able to be recharged and refreshed. It’s like pressing a reset button from all the stress from the fall semester and start fresh for the spring semester. Winter break gives me a chance to focus on me and nothing else.”
Khaleena Shamsid-Deen, junior and commuter, said, “As a commuter I always look forward to winter break. It’s just a break from school in general so having it really helps me mentally, physically and emotionally when it comes to school.”
Even commuters…is there any difference even though you’re still home?
Shamsid-Deen said, “With me being a commuter and already being at home I don’t feel any different versus someone living on campus and going home for winter break.”
Reginald Loper, junior and commuter, said, “Winter break doesn’t really feel like a break because I’m already home. Yes there are no classes but as far as being home it feels the same as if school was still going on.”
After the hard fast paced semester you get almost a full month to relax and do whatever you want.
The question is, is that month too long? Too short for you? Do you feel productive over winter break? Or do you feel lazy wishing you could get back to school to start the next semester?
“Honestly our winter break is pretty long but I wouldn’t want it cut any shorter. We work hard as college students and I feel like we deserve that time to ourselves in preparation for the next semester,” Shamsid-Deen said.
Loper said, “I wish winter break was shorter because being at home is boring to me. Not seeing my friends at school for a month kind of sucks.”
Flax said, “I don’t wish it was shorter or longer. It’s the perfect amount of time to reset yourself.”
Over winter break we may try to keep ourselves busy. That may mean getting a temporary job only for winter break to make some extra cash. Some of us might already have a permanent job and schedule to work months in advance. We may schedule family trips or trips with friends to have a nice relaxing break.
According to The Chicago Tribune, it is believed that a long college winter break is generally a waste. While some students obtain a temporary seasonal job, most do not. There is an argument that college and university students should have year-round attendance with minimal breaks like most employers out of school face now. This would prepare them for the real world.
Eric Zorn, writer of the article, believes that winter break is too long for his kids. He says one week is needed to recuperate from final exams, see friends, squeeze in doctor and dentist appointments. Another week to enjoy the holidays, visit relatives, and possibly go on a family trip.
Right after those two weeks students need to get back to campus where their friends are and to continue their academics continuously moving forward.
Patrice Bending, St. John’s University student, wrote in a 2008 essay, “It takes students out of routine for too long.”
