‘Time to get away’: Students reflect on spring break

For college students, spring break is a chance to get away from school to either a sunny vacation spot or their hometown, relaxing with friends and family. Regardless of where students go on their time off, the weeklong break gives students a chance to escape the everyday stress of school.

“It’s just time to get away,” Rachelle Huynh, a first-year student on the pre-physical therapy track, said. “School is too much sometimes, and you really need some time to just … do nothing.” 

Over break, Huynh spent her time studying, working out, “chilling”, sleeping and watching Netflix. Huynh said she needed this time to “rot in bed” before the end of the semester. 

“I definitely feel better than I did before break, so hopefully I can just power through until summer,” Huynh said. 

Huynh came back to Pitt and got right to studying to prepare for essays and quizzes due this upcoming week. This is common for a lot of students, including Clare Donnelly, a sophomore biology major, who also spent her time relaxing at home in Wexford, PA. 

“Although spring break was nice, I feel like most of the time I was just worried about going back to school,” Donnelly said. “I didn’t get any work done, which made it worse, because now I’m stressed out. But I got to see my family and my dogs and spend time with my boyfriend.”

Despite Donnelly having schoolwork on the back of her mind, she said she feels refreshed and ready to finish out the semester. Reid Duncan, a sophomore digital narrative and interactive design major, spent his break with his girlfriend, Donnelly, during which they had more time to cook together and “do family things.” 

“It was really fun and chill,” Duncan said, “I just think it’s good to get your body and mind right before the end of the year grind.” 

Eliza Fowler, a first-year student on the pre-PA track, said spring break gave her time where she could focus on herself. She did a lot of relaxing, spending time with family, hiking and running at home in Towanda, PA. 

“It was the time for me,” Fowler said, “I definitely needed the break to relax and take some time to do things I really enjoy on my free time. [Normally,] most of my free time I use to be productive.” 

Before the break, Fowler felt “a little burnt out.” She said this break “saved her” and put her in the right headspace to get back to her studies in peace. Lauren Hempstead, a first-year psychology major, traveled to Panama City, Florida, for spring break with friends, and agreed that spring break “was definitely needed.”

“There was a lot [of work] due right before break. I think if we didn’t have the break, I don’t know how I would’ve done finals or anything,” Hempstead said. 

Hempstead and her friends began planning their spring break excursion back in November. With the end of the semester approaching, they wanted to take a vacation rather than go home because “why not?”

“We’re going home in a month, so why not go away, rather than go home?” Hempstead said, “We just wanted to do something fun because we’re gonna have four months at home where we’re resting [over summer].” 

In Florida, the group of girls went to the beach “pretty much all day, every day.” But, they planned the trip to not take up their entire break, giving themselves some time to relax at home as well. 

“We had the first weekend and this weekend to rest up. It was really just kind of chill,” Hempstead said. 

Now that spring break is over, Hempstead said she definitely wishes she was still on vacation. But she is ready to get back to class and start the countdown until summer, with just six weeks left in the spring semester.

“I feel like I’m pretty ready to go back to class, because we have almost no time, and then it’s summer,” Hempstead said.