As the last blog post before Fall Break, many Penn State students anxiously await Friday afternoon to return home and earn a break from the onslaught of homework, exams, and stress that this first semester has brought. Many professors steered clear this year of assigning work over break, further exciting the populus of State College. Awaiting us are netflix shows, crafts, and pure relaxation, far away from the approaching deadlines that lay the beginning of finals season.

The current longevity of fall break, at least for Penn Staters, began as most other universities do: with two shortened breaks that simply lengthened the weekend. However, as faculty noticed students failing to report to classes on the other part of the half-week, the schedule was modified to introduce one large break during Thanksgiving.

This choice, while technically increasing overall attendance, didn’t do much for student success. Reporters at the University of Maryland, who currently have a schedule similar to Penn State’s, advocated in 2016 for the removal of the fall break and its separation into smaller weekend extensions because “87 percent of college students reported feeling overwhelmed by everything on their plate” (Rosenberg). The choice to create one larger fall break also removed the opportunities for students to catch up with schoolwork that they had fallen behind on during the semester, and had severe drawbacks for the shortness of the rest of the semester (the time leading up to finals).

However, the creation of a singular fall break had its benefits as well. Just this past year, almost 35% of admitted students were out-of-state (“Admissions Statistics”). For these students, shorter fall breaks (and therefore a lack of housing shutdown) meant that fall break was likely to be spent on campus instead of with family. A longer fall break allows these students to travel home safely and still have time to destress.

There are clearly two sides to the debate on the longevity of fall break- both with equally strong arguments. However, what should we do during fall break?

Oftentimes, students get caught up in the soft lifestyle away from university and struggle when deadlines come rushing up. As a study blog, it is my duty to remind you all to keep on track of what you have to do- and make sure you’re planning enough time to do it. My recommendation for working over break is to create a to-do list before you even get home, and complete small tasks per day. Bigger tasks, such as papers or presentations, should be broken up into parts. As much as it’s amazing to vegetate on netflix all day, it’ll end up to be a bittersweet memory come Sunday when you realize you have 12 assignments due.

Similarly, not being organized during break often transfers over into the return to school. Classes often don’t have the time to re-acclimate you to working, and being thrown head-first into new material without preparation (and right before finals) really sucks. Therefore, it’s important to keep in the back of your mind to remain just a little bit disciplined so you’re immediately ready to jump back in.

That being said, fall break is important for destressing and decompressing. Attempt yoga. Watch HBO shows. Eat chips. As one of my previous posts said, you can’t have success in academia without first taking care of yourself.

Have a great break!

 

Works Cited:

“Admission Statistics.” Undergraduate Admissions, https://admissions.psu.edu/apply/statistics/.

Rosenberg, Maya. “Fall Semester Is Too Long and Unforgiving. Students Need a Fall Break.” The Diamondback, Maryland Media, Inc. , 16 Oct. 2019, https://dbknews.com/2019/10/16/umd-college-fall-break-thanksgiving-mental-health/.