By Emma Reilly
Opinion Editor
Washington College students are already tackling the second half of the fall semester, and it’s hard to believe that winter break is less than two months away. After gracefully taking midterm exams and enjoying a relaxing fall break, students are geared up for the home stretch to finals.
That is the theory, anyway. In reality, midterm exams were especially overwhelming for students this October. Many students at WC have not taken a traditional, pencil-and-paper exam in a classroom for over a year and a half. In addition to the challenge presented by midterm tests, projects, and papers, many students were unable to fully recharge during their fall break.
“I definitely didn’t feel well-rested. I am always working on something, so just two days wasn’t going to be enough to give me a full recovery. That was to be expected though,” senior Nick Ritter said.
Like Ritter, some students already expected fall break to feel rushed and unfulfilling. The break amounted to two days off from class and included the following weekend.
Considering the fact that professors need to plan already time-crunched classes around breaks, and with the upcoming Thanksgiving break in mind, Oct. 14-17 seems like ample time off. But when students are grappling with an ongoing pandemic and recovering from exams at the same time, those days fly by.
The length of the break was not the only hinderance to its overall benefit for students.
“It’s not that all my assignments were due over the break, but they were assigned close before it and [due] so close after that I would’ve been scrambling at the start of the week to complete it all had I not worked diligently on my days off,” junior Avery Castellani said.
Classwork assigned on or around breaks puts a strain on the limited time students have to relax, destress, and reorient themselves for the second half of the semester. While it is not always practical for professors to completely avoid this, some students feel that it infringes on their much-needed time off.
“I thought fall break would be a time for students to take a breather…to help not only our mental but physical health, and that did not happen for me,” sophomore Paige Dauplaise said. “Professors seem to see it as a time when we can do more work [since] we are not hindered by classes.”
Although many professors at WC strive to make their class workloads balanced and manageable, hefty midterm projects are often assigned during or right after fall break. This forces students to focus on schoolwork rather than their own wellbeing. Additionally, even a small amount of work from one professor can add up when a student is taking three other courses.
Breaks are a key time for students to unwind and recharge, and homework cuts into that time. Overloaded breaks leave students feeling unrested and burnt out, which is detrimental to their academic performance and mental health.
“Breaks benefit students by giving them a chance to rest intellectually and emotionally,” Castellani said. “Having to continue to do classwork doesn’t give us time to recuperate and adds to our overall frustration because we know this is supposed to be our rest time. This leads to us feeling even more drained and unmotivated upon returning [to classes].”
To combat the fatiguing effects of a work-filled break, students should plan ahead for Nov. 24-28. Getting work done ahead of time, when possible, is a great way for students to ensure that they can fully take advantage of their Thanksgiving break. Dedicating specific times for homework and specific times for relaxation and socialization activities is another way to make sure that the break can truly feel like a break.
Communication is another important way to avoid overburdening time off.
“I know every class is on a tight schedule and the solution isn’t as simple as ‘don’t assign work,’ but having open class [and] professor discussions regarding burnout is important and can help reevaluate what’s essential versus what isn’t,” Castellani said.
Talking to professors and peers is especially relevant when it comes to COVID-19 and its effects on the attitudes and work acumen of students this semester.
“I think communication and acknowledgement of how hard a lot of this stuff is goes a long way,” Ritter said. “Just be honest with everyone that we are still not in a ‘normal’ semester because of the ongoing pandemic.”
By discussing the feelings and stressors they are facing, students allow their professors to better understand their needs. Fostering this kind of open dialogue within WC classrooms will allow professors to adjust work accordingly, and will encourage students to develop work management strategies with their peers, so all members of the College community can enjoy a truly relaxing Thanksgiving break.
Photo by Grace Hazelhurst