Spring break provides necessary diversion from studies

By Shaziya Damani

This dawn when I was sitting at the breakfast table, sipping my tea, relishing my toast and reading my emails, I got a call from an old friend. As I facetimed with her, I heard a thump off-camera.

When I asked her what happened, she rotated her camera towards her baby, and I observed a four-year-old lying on the ground with bowl of Cheerios upside down on his chest, tittering maniacally — he fell off his chair. And then a thought crossed my mind — spring break is merely another occasion for students to become a giant toddler!

But should spring break be eliminated?

I don’t think anybody desires to eliminate the fun of spring break — the time of the year when birds are beginning to return, the first blossoms of spring are blooming on trees and packs of college students are stooping on the beaches, which rapidly become a combination of sunburns, margaritas and wet T-shirt contests.

Spring break is often the most eagerly anticipated break of the second semester. Though it comes once a year, it comes with a regrowth of flora, livelier weather and days dedicated to relishing the new season.

While spring break might have been intended to be a break where people admired the arrival of spring and relax, things change. Now, the perception of it is less relaxing and more parties with abundance of alcohol and college students drinking on beaches. But despite that change perception, I don’t think it should be eliminated.

Few students devote their first two months of the new year to preparing an itinerary for the spring break with their families and friends in a trendy manner. Taking a break from studies and spending some quality time with their families, or volunteering the time to benefit a cause, can be on their bucket list.

There are ample opportunities for youth today to get their hands dirty and make a difference, or just step back and catch their breath. Not everyone is a beach bum and spring breaks are an opportunity for them to get a few things done apart from having a sluggish day routine and relaxing for a bit. This is ultimately last big break until the summer months from then, which may be taken up by another job.

Yes, it is another chance to live life like a giant toddler again, no matter how it is being spent. It can still turn out to be a precious moment of one’s life.

Spring break disruptive to academic discipline and focus

By Saarim Damani 

A full week’s break after just one and a half month of studies? I think that’s too much freedom provided by the tradition. I don’t agree with letting students take that long off for spring break. There are several benefits of not having spring breaks, or, in other words, some problems we students face when we get back into our college routine after a week off.

No matter what you do over spring break, whether it’s hang out with family or go somewhere with friends, the result is that you’re doing something you like that distracts you from the smooth routine of school. And once you get back to school, it can take an entire month to adjust back to the schedule and living an orderly life, away from family or friends outside the school environment.

While not everyone might require this time to re-adjust, there are certainly students who benefit from order and a consistent schedule. Thus, getting rid of spring break could be a prudent option, increasing stability in a student’s studies and life.

A better alternative could be to end the term by the end of April and then prolong the summer break for students to spend some extra quality time with their families. Yet another benefit of long summer breaks would be potential internships – where students would be allowed to spend three long three good months in associating with the corporate world.

In such a case, some parents might be pleased to see an early arrival of summers and seeing their children again.

College students are also known for going wild in spring break rather than utilizing it usefully. We hear a lot about accidents and injuries and a sharp jump in traffic fatalities in this one week spring break vacations, due largely to the excessive intake of drugs and alcohol, perhaps because students feel compelled to jam too much fun into their one week of ‘freedom.’

It’s supposed to be a break to enjoy and not to harm ourselves because of some negligence, but it has become an impediment to student’s academic progress and focus, instead of a help. Hence, I stand up for eliminating spring break and increasing the summer break.

People say, “summer breaks should get a speeding ticket.” I’d rather enjoy a longer summer where I’m not coming back to a half-finished semester.