We are in full swing of the second semester. Most of us have our faces buried in books and studying for hard exams. However, there is the promise of a break on the horizon. Spring break is just around the corner, and it has all students itching to reach it. The thought of lounging on a beach or seeing old friends again is too good to pass up. This brings up the question though those students have been asking for generations: Should we have longer breaks and shorter summers?
Christmas break here at GCU would be our biggest concern. Friends of mine out east receive a month break for Christmas while students who attend GCU only have two weeks. This was hard to coupe with my first year here because instead of taking the time after a particularly intense semester to recharge and prepare for the spring term, it felt like I had a mini vacation and then was thrown back into the whirlwind of the new semester. I was talking with a roommate the other day and she felt the same way, claiming that it would be better to add a week onto the beginning of the fall semester and a week onto the end of the spring semester which would then allow us to have four weeks off for Christmas break. This gives the students more time to see family, friends, and travel if they wish without having to accomplish all of it in two weeks.
As for the other breaks, there seems to be a controversy over the fact that longer breaks would make the rest of the semester fly by. Say for a fall break instead of one day off attached to a weekend instead there are three days off around a weekend. Could the rest and relaxation of the extra days help college students accomplish more of a recharge of their mental health which would help with studies? One article written on Psychology Today says that “Working for long stretches without breaks leads to stress and exhaustion. Taking breaks refreshes the mind, replenishes your mental resources, and helps you become more creative.” Wouldn’t this be the deal breaker for allowing students to have longer amounts of time off in between semesters?
With all that said, breaks can be relaxing and emotionally exhausting at the same time. However, as the assurance of a week off comes into view try to remember to spend it wisely.
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