Three weeks ago, I, along with many other Drexel students, painfully trudged back to Philadelphia at the end of spring break, a glorious week-long bed rot where I ate my weight in food, watched (an unhealthy amount of) Netflix shows and simply did nothing. I believe my laziness was completely warranted. The ten-week winter term, followed by an absolutely grueling finals week that ended at 3 p.m. on a Friday, took a lot out of me. So, I wholeheartedly believe that the week of spring break was absolutely necessary for me to mentally recover from the (rather traumatizing) term that had preceded.
But alas, spring break flew by and before I knew it, I was gearing up for yet another 10-week term which will be followed by three more terms after that before I get a six-month break for my co-op. By the time I get to that point, I will have completed a total of six straight academic quarters, a reality that many of us are no stranger to. However, this raises the question: how long is long enough for our little breaks? While the irrational, bed-rot loving part of me wants to say “one month between each quarter should be enough,” the rational part of me wonders if having a few extra days of spring break at the cost of a shorter winter break will really be more conducive to preventing the burnout that I am currently experiencing.
Drexel’s winter break generally ranges from three to four weeks. The winter break for the 2024-2025 school year is slated to be 23 days long, a little over three weeks. The spring break for the 2024-2025 school year is eight days long. However, given that we have nearly a week for Thanksgiving less than a month before our winter break, perhaps we could benefit from stealing some of those winter days and adding them to our spring break. Studies have shown that a two week break actually increases engagement with work and decreases levels of burnout. So perhaps we really should consider adding a few extra days, or maybe even a week between our winter break and spring term. Especially since Drexel, unlike some of the surrounding universities in Philadelphia, are starting the break fresh off final exams, adding an extra week may really be more conducive to happier and more productive students in the long run.
Moral of the story: more spring break is better. But hey, maybe I am biased.