Opinion: A Longer Spring Break Is The Simple Solution To Burnout
With travel, assignments and exams to study for, NYU’s one-week recess is hardly a break at all.
(Kevin Wu via Washington Square News)
by Molly Koch
This story was originally published on New York University’s Washington Square News.
Next Monday, NYU students begin their highly-anticipated one-week spring break. The time off is too brief, leaving students feeling like they only have a few days to recover from and prepare to return to the slog of exams, lectures and homework. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If spring break was just a few days longer — or, ideally, another week — students would be able to more effectively recover and come back refreshed for the second half of the spring semester.
As you walk around campus during the days before break, you’ll find students pushing through their final 500-word discussion posts and essays with faces full of dread. The spring semester of college brings extreme anxiety to students, especially given that the majority of it is spent during the winter months. A University of Notre Dame study revealed that students spent significantly less time outside during cold weather, isolating themselves with their assignments. Another study, conducted by an NYU Langone Health researcher found that students’ stress levels were consistently elevated during the spring semester.
Spring break, which sits in the middle of the semester, serves as a strong motivator for many students. It is supposed to be a time to drop everything and immerse yourself in nicer surroundings than giant buildings that feel suffocating. However, the short time period prevents students from maximizing the benefits of the break.
Read the rest of the story at Washington Square News.