Winter break is here again.
A month of no school and time at home.
This seems like an exciting time that many college students would look forward to and appreciate, but I, as well as some others I'm sure, are on the opposite end of this spectrum.
Why, you may ask? Here are just a few simplified reasons why I, as well as many others, tend to dislike winter break despite the positive hype it often receives.
Not being able to see your friends for a whole month.
Friends are probably one of the best parts of college, and it's rare you ever go a single day without seeing yours during the semester. But unless you live within close proximity of your dearest friends or have made visitation plans to see each other over the break, it's difficult to fathom having to go an entire month without hanging out.
The stress that comes with being home.
For some, home is a place of peace where everyone in their family frolics together and can spend hours in each other's company. This is not the case in many situations. Family is often stressful: from having to deal with their routines and lives and trying to manage your own, to having to be surrounded by them almost 24/7 if you still live in the same home, the stress of home life is often more stressful than having mounds of assignments and schoolwork due. Not everyone's home life is a necessarily enjoyable one, so before telling those who may not enjoy long breaks to "enjoy the time with their families," consider that not all individuals are able to truly enjoy the experience.
Boredom.
Yes, you can be bored on campus, but your friends or things to do are just a few steps away. At home, depending on your location, getting to the gym, the store, and so forth are most likely a car ride away. We can't always just jump in the car and go because #gasmoney, so oftentimes we are stuck within the four walls of our home with nothing to do but be lazy…and trust me, being lazy definitely gets boring.
Lack of "must do's."
Some people rejoice over this thought, but for the many who constantly need something to do to stay occupied, this lacking is what induces boredom. It's much better to be busy than bored, so not having things to be busy with, such as homework, extracurriculars, and classes, gets incredibly depressing.
Your usual routine is thrown off.
At college, we all have our own normal and set routines and daily rituals, all which are thrown off when taken out of our campus setting and thrown back into home life, where you not only have to figure out how to manage your own schedule, but also the schedule of the others residing in your household, which is probably the most stressful part.
While I certainly love the holidays and having a little bit of time away from assignments, the month+ that we receive is a bit too much and offsets the positive intentions that those who schedule the time have in mind.
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