College is hard. There is no getting around that little nugget of life. Homework, essays, projects, quizzes, exams, finals (tailor this list as your major sees fit). Do you remember when you thought high school finals were hard? Yeah, that was laughable compared to college finals. We were so naive then.

College finals are like the giant beetle standing behind the tiny ant princess in Bug’s Life when they’re scaring away the grasshoppers. They just have a certain horror about them. The goal isn’t to pass any of the finals, merely to survive them. I won’t lie, I almost didn’t come out of some of my finals. Brutal.

But then, by some miracle, you make it out on the other side of the semester and the greatest part of the whole year comes: winter break. Or… is it the best part? There’s a lot of good and bad to the almighty winter break and I’ve articulated some of them here:

 

PRO: If you live in an apartment near campus, it’s a month of hanging out with friends and binge watching every show you’ve been meaning to catch up on for months now.

You upperclassmen will understand the amazing freedom you obtain when you finally own your own place at college. It’s your home now and you can do whatever you want.

CON: If you don’t live in an apartment, you have to go home and live under close supervision of your parents

However, if you’re a freshman, you go home for winter break. Which is fun for about 3 days. After getting that taste of freedom for the last three months, coming home and living under someone else’s rules can get real old, real fast.

 

PRO: CHRISTMAS!

Need I say more?

CON: Driving to wherever Christmas is being celebrated

The danger of sitting with your family in one car for hours is real. The tension is palpable.

 

CON: Going back to school

It’s hard to find motivation to go back when you’ve done nothing for a month.

PRO: Getting to see all of your friends and favorite professors

Sometimes the only motivation to go back to school is to make contact with other humans.

 

PRO: Catching up on sleep

Let’s be honest, during winter break, we’re practically in committed relationships with our beds.

CON: Oversleeping is just as bad as under sleeping

You can set all the alarms you want, but you know that you’re going to ignore all of them.

 

PRO: The break is a month long

The recovery time is necessary. Not only did you study your brains out for three months, you also had work, organizations and you were near at least 2,000 other people constantly. That’s exhausting. After a semester like that, who wouldn’t want a whole month off of school?

CON: Time means nothing after the New Year.

That second week in January I definitely started having  full conversations with my dog. I was losing it.

 

PRO: New Years Eve

YAY! CELEBRATION!!

CON: New Years Morning

*cough* Hell fire.

 

PRO: Your family cooks you free food

Anything that isn’t dining hall food is amazing at this point.

CON: You know you’re going to have to join a gym

It’s okay though. It’s January so there are a bunch of deals at the gyms. Hooray for student discounts, am I right?

 

PRO: Watching the high schoolers go back to school on the third

There’s nothing more satisfying than this.

CON: There isn’t one. Seriously. None. Congrats on not being in high school and getting a real break.

You go get that nap and enjoy your break!

 

Until next time,

Dana