Do Students Like the Long Winter Break?

Image credit: Alexandra Macia for The Campus Trainer

By the end of first semester, most students are looking forward to going home for the break and enjoying their well deserved time off from school.

Although, at the University of Maryland, students have a six week break, which some see as controversial. While many students enjoy the time off, concerns about the length of the break are raised when students are searching for jobs or activities to do during this time.

Ally Ruocco, a sophomore psychology major, has disliked the length of this break since she first came to UMD.

“We don’t need over a month for winter break in my opinion, I think a month or a little less than that is the perfect amount. Summer should be the longer break, especially when that’s when most people try and find jobs and go on vacations,” said Ruocco.

Even though Ruocco said that she enjoys having time to relax, finding things to do during the six weeks can be stressful.

One of the main reasons UMD has implemented the long break is due to the winter term. The long break gives students the option to take classes, which can be helpful for those who need to catch up on credits or want to get ahead in school. Despite this, not many students take advantage of this unless it is necessary.

Hailey Schaaf, a sophomore business major, said that she dislikes the long break and would prefer for the break to be four weeks long.

“I don’t like the long winter break. I think it’s too long and all my friends from home go back to school before me. I also feel like it's wasted time because it’s not long enough to even get a real job,” said Schaaf.

Schaaf said that she would take a class during that time only if she “absolutely needed” the credits.

Many large universities, such as University of Delaware and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, also have long winter breaks for students, although for smaller colleges, the break is usually shortened.

Mackenzie Foskett, a sophomore finance major at Providence College, said her winter break is four weeks long.

“I like the length because it's nice to be home, but it is still a long time to be away from your friends from school,” said Foskett.

While Foskett has never gotten a job during her break, she thinks it would be difficult because of how short her time off is.

“I would like my break to be lengthened a little bit so I could get a job if I wanted. I also think the break is annoying because my friends from home go away too at different times, so I can’t even see them as much,” said Foskett.

While many students at the university seem to be against the long winter break, students at other schools also seem to be having conflicts with how long they have off. When asking students at the university, it was difficult to find someone who loved the length of the winter break. Either way, the length can have a great impact on the ways in which students utilize their time off from school.