Opinion: Longer spring break is a simple solution to burnout.

With travel, assignments, and prep exams, a week-long break at NYU can hardly be called a break.

Next Monday, NYU students begin their long-awaited week-long spring break. Free time is too short and students feel like they only have a few days to recover and prepare for their return for exams, lectures and homework. But it shouldn’t be like that. If spring break were only a few days longer—or ideally another week—students would be able to recover more effectively and return to the second half of the spring semester refreshed.

Walking around campus in the days leading up to the holidays, you’ll find students pushing their latest 500-word discussion posts and essays with fearful faces. The spring semester in college causes extreme anxiety among students, especially given that most of it falls during the winter months. A University of Notre Dame study found that students spent significantly less time outside in cold weather, isolating himself with his tasks. Another study by researcher Langone Health at New York University found that student stress levels constantly elevated during the spring semester.

Spring break, which takes place in the middle of the semester, is a strong motivator for many students. It’s supposed to be time to drop everything and dive into a more pleasant environment than the gigantic buildings that seem suffocating. However, the short period of time prevents students from maximizing the benefits of the break.

The time that should be used to alleviate our burnout is not long enough. Many unlucky students are assigned reading and homework, or may have to study for exams after the break. When students have to work less or take longer breaks, they are constantly harassed by assignments instead. Spring break can hardly be considered a break if you’re constantly checking out Brightspace, even if you’re sunbathing on a Miami beach. A longer period of time would allow students to spread out their assignments and dedicate time to recovery after the semester instead.

While extending spring break would mean the semester would run until May, frustrating students and delaying high school graduation, a longer spring break would be more rewarding. So why not shorten winter holidays and make spring break longer? While this may be reduced to the January semester, giving students the opportunity to quickly complete graduation requirements or the opportunity to participate in off-site study programs, this is not the only option for students. The summer semester, which offers a greater variety of classes and better weather, is a viable alternative for students looking to get ahead.

While a short week can provide much-needed rest, it mostly just distracts students from their homework, which will inevitably return right after the break. An extended spring break will help students relax and feel less pressure. From the way things are now, next week looks more like a tease than a real breakthrough.

The WSN Opinion Section strives to post ideas worthy of discussion. The views expressed in the “Opinion” section are solely those of the author.

Contact Molly Koch by phone [email protected]