With the weather warming up and the days becoming longer it can only mean one thing: spring break is finally here! A time cherished by students everywhere, this week brings much-needed relaxation to kids and teens who have been working nonstop since the start of the semester.

Especially for college students, this week may be the first time in months that they have a scheduled day off. But all too often, we college students are shamed for how we will spend our breaks, being told that this should be a time to work ahead and prepare for the rest of the semester. In contrast, most of us will actually spend it somewhere on a beach, passing the week relaxing in bed or spending time catching up with friends. While most adults will send less-than approving looks our way, there’s a reason we students really do need this week to be spent as an actual break.

Unlike the first half of the year, the second semester comes at us in full force, with no breaks and piled on responsibilities. After being given the first few months to “settle in,” we are now expected to be completely ready to focus and should have no excuses to give any less than our best. So, for the past 2 months, we have been working diligently to achieve all that we can, with no days off but the weekend, until spring break.

In the first semester, we are fortunate enough to have several built-in breaks, from Labor Day to Fall Break to Thanksgiving. But now, we haven’t had a break since the big move back to campus. We, as students, need this week away to relax, rejuvenate, and channel enough energy to power through the rest of the year.

While we may not do this in the same way that our family and other adults may wish, they must all remember that we are living out our college years. We yearn for time with our friends, on a beach, at a party, or just hanging out.

Yes, we college kids may be wild, we may not always be studying and planning over our breaks. But, try to think back just a few years to your own college years, and the carefree times you and your friends spent together.

And now, before you give us all but a judgemental glance, try to think about how important this single week is for all of us. We spend the rest of the year focusing on our futures, working our hardest to achieve all that we can in our ever so demanding University lives. Let us have this week of freedom, a week of parties, a week of rest, as I’m sure all of you did too just a few years ago.