Jared Jacoby

Dr. Babington

CMM 373: Student Media Content

November 14, 2020

Long Breaks, Big Assignments

I believe that students in college should not have big assignments due right after breaks.

Being a college student myself, whenever I am on a week-long break, my mind is not on school.

Instead, it is on my family and resting. Whenever there is a paper or exam that needs to be done

the day after the break, it creates two problems.

 One, it takes a while for me to get into the mood to do homework during a break. Second,

it makes what should be one of the most relaxing times of the year an overly stressful week.

When I am hit with these deadlines right after breaks, I am stuck between my lack of motivation

for work and my stress levels increasing during breaks

According to Healthline.com, research shows that 70 percent of students say that they are

constantly stressed with schoolwork. Fall break or Thanksgiving break could be the perfect time

to relax, but many students may have a big project due when they get back. These assignments

make the break barely feel like a break.

I understand why professors put these deadlines after a break. I understand that they just

want us to stay focused on our material. Too much time off could make us forget a few things we

learned in school. However, when students have to complete an eight-page essay, they will feel

pressure during a time that they should instead be able to relax. 
 According to Julia Angley of

the John Hopkins Newsletter, there were no administrative restrictions with assignments over

breaks at Hopkins University. Angley found that many students at Hopkins said that their breaks

did not feel restful. As a senior at Spring Hill College with big assignments due after this

Thanksgiving break, I share their sentiments as there is no ban on assignments over breaks here

at SHC.

In Spring of 2021, SHC students will have “rest days” instead of long breaks. There is

one rest day per month where there are no classes on a weekday. The problem is that students

still have homework to do or tests to study for and these rest days will only feel more like catch-

up days, not breaks.

 College students need proper breaks so they can relax instead of stressing about a test or

paper. They need more than a single day of no classes. Every student should have a solid

vacation from their classes that will allow them to enjoy themselves instead of feeling

overwhelmed.