With Spring Break in the rear-view mirror and Villanovans back to campus (if only for a couple weeks), many are still reminiscing about the good times, refreshing relaxations and joyous reunions with family and friends. Some, like certain members of The Villanovan, headed out to Key West, the Bahamas or back home for some R&R. But in totality, every Villanovan found a reward for a hard six weeks of work previously.
Freshman Jack Hartung looked forward to the time away. However he did not opt not for the heat of Punta Cana, Fort Lauderdale or other popular tropical destinations of the year. Instead, he went for the chilly slopes.
“I went skiing with my family in Beaver Creek, Colorado,” Hartung said. “It was an incredible trip with plenty of snow, food and slopes.”
Many, like Hartung, chose to get away with friends or with family for the week-long respite from the daily mundane. However, some, like fellow freshman Aidan McGovern, didn’t fly anywhere but instead hopped in the car with a friend from high school to visit another member of their friend group at his school.
“A friend from home and I road-tripped to Virginia to visit another friend at school,” McGovern said. “It was a shame that his break wasn’t aligned with ours, but we were able to take advantage of the singular overlapping weekend and have a good time. [I am already looking] forward to the next break.”
While McGovern and Hartung both chose to get away for the break, Corey McCall spent his break at home, hanging out with his family after the six-week stretch (one of the longest of the academic year) at Villanova’s campus exclusively.
“My Spring Break definitely wasn’t too bad, it was just filled with doctors’ appointments and just got to catch up on work,” McCall said. “It was good to hang with family and enjoy the beautiful weather outside and go to the boardwalk with my siblings.”
Hartung certainly enjoyed his time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life at Villanova, but equally feels content with where he is in his first year while also feeling the break snapped away from him.
“The break felt too quick, but the end of the year is in sight,” Hartung said. “Easter’s right around the corner, and after that it’s only a month until finals.”
Fellow freshman Maddy Bean agrees, noting the fun of the break but also its relative quickness in length compared to other, more vast breaks like the multi-week Winter Break two months ago.
“I just went home to Virginia and chilled a bit, caught up with friends and family,” Bean said. “And the break was definitely relaxing, but [I] would have liked a little more time off from classes and school.”
Another comparison to Winter Break comes with the quickness of the turnabout of tests, quizzes and essays assigned the week or week after students’ return from their various vacations, despite the possibility of other commitments like attending either of Villanova’s Big East Tournament basketball games, fraternity and sorority events or any other number of extracurricular or non-academics related activity.
For instance, Alex Markatos had the tall task of his workload increasing since his return from his relaxing break at home.
“I’ve felt the workload definitely increase since my return from break,” Markatos said, “Not to the point of it being overwhelming, but certainly noticeable.”
In the spirit of that, students must also remember to continue pacing themselves so as not to suffer burnout at this critical juncture of the semester. That means keeping up with the needs of your mental health and not neglecting them, taking “me-time” and doing the simplest things to spark some joy and maintaining healthy study habits, not falling into the doldrums and traps that may seem so tempting.
Sleep is also a necessity during this time, as while some may work late into the wee hours of the morning in Falvey, they also are sacrificing crucial sleep needed to maintain focus, willpower to continue grinding and a recharge from the shackling activities that everyday life can sometimes pose to us all.
“It’s been a struggle to maintain a consistent sleep schedule,” Markatos said. “Work’s definitely been a major conflict on that front.”
