Thanksgiving Break is a lie. It’s a fictional construct developed in a lab by college officials to make us believe they’re giving us time off to relax. Honestly, can we really call five days off from classes filled with four essays, three projects, two tests to prep for, and a dozen reading assignments a “break?” All while we try to cram in at least three days of actual work to come back to school with a little extra cash? That’s not much of a “break” if you ask me.

Going home to spend time with our families can be a good or bad thing depending on the family, but it’s not much of a Thanksgiving celebration when we need to leave early to open up for Black Friday shoppers at our local Target or Walmart. Only to then leave a little past midnight to come back in for the afternoon/evening shift the next day.

Thanksgiving Break has never been a true break, even in high school. Teachers would still assign us homework, readings, or projects to worry about when we are supposed to be on a “break” from classes. Spring Break is the same thing, but it never feels as bad as Thanksgiving as it’s much shorter and we actually have a holiday to celebrate in the middle of it.

If they tell us we are having a break, it should be made to actually be a break. Professors should work their syllabus' around the break so nothing is due the immediate class right after break. After busting our asses for almost three months with constant assignments being crammed down our throats, I think we deserve a little vacation time. Adults in the workplace get a certain amount of time off each year. I know people can argue about Winter Break or Summer Vacation, but it’s different because those are the periods of time we need to bust our asses for money at work. We don’t typically work full-time year round, so work doesn’t give us vacation time, and when we are working as a full-time student, we don’t get time off either.

Being a college student is frustrating for many reasons, but the lie of giving us “breaks” is ridiculous. Four years in college and Thanksgiving Break has never felt like a break at all. I have the false sense of relaxation, so I slack until that Saturday and Sunday before I go back and realize, “Oh, shit. This wasn’t a break at all. It was an extended weekend, and I didn’t do any of my work.” Calling it a “break” or “vacation” gives us the false idea that we don’t need to worry about our school work when, in actuality, we do. Especially at this time with the last month of the semester rearing its head from around Thanksgiving Break’s corner. The week students return, they often have essays and presentations to give or hand-in with finals week only a few stress-filled weeks ahead.

So, no, this isn’t Thanksgiving Break that we have in the coming weeks. It’s just another week during the Fall Semester. The only difference is we don’t have our friends for support, our in-person resources to utilize, and a lot more responsibilities since we’re back at the house. Don’t give into the lie, and make sure you don’t fall victim to its psychological effects.