How was Fall Break 2021?

Every year, college students look forward to their fall and spring breaks. It is the perfect opportunity to relax, take a trip to a new place, head home for a few days, or catch up on some sleep. This year, Elon’s fall break began on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, after classes concluded, but not everyone had the complete hiatus from school that they were hoping for. 

We talked to 15 current Elon students of all ages to see how their experiences were this year. 

Of those students, 91% of them stated that they traveled somewhere, whether that was home or an exciting new destination, over this year’s fall break. Some of the most common travel spots were Nashville, Tennessee; a few of North Carolina’s finest beaches; New York and some visits to friends at other colleges. 

Unfortunately, some of these students had to carve out some time while away to complete homework. Nearly half, 41% of respondents had mentioned that they had homework due between Thursday, October 14, 2021, and Sunday, October 17, 2021. Of those who had said that they had homework due, 60% said that they had one assignment, 20% said that they had two, and 20% said that they had four or more. 

Some of the assignments that students said they had to do over break were not simple either. Between organic chemistry assignments and video projects, students of all different majors were taking steps to learn more in their classes.

This seems almost contradictory to the term “fall break.” Shouldn’t the long weekend be a chance to ditch the thoughts of school and homework? This causes students to have a never-ending cycle of stress that can ultimately lead them to become burnt out before the end of the semester. 

A few Elon students mentioned some suggestions to help make breaks more relaxing in general. Common answers included: making it a homework-free weekend, having the following Monday off as a chance to recover, and simply having more time off. 

However, while these suggestions would be enjoyable, they are not always possible. 

Logically, higher education classes have a curriculum that has to move at a certain pace. If the pace is slowed, the necessary information that needs to be taught might not be completed by the end of the semester. 

Homework over school breaks may seem like the enemy at the moment, but it is ultimately for a better purpose. Writing out a schedule with every assignment’s due date before the break is always helpful. This can allow students to get as much work done in advance as possible and to find a balance between productivity and rest to have a break that is nothing short of amazing. 

Cover photo from Unsplash.