I am currently embarking on my fourth and final spring recess at Nazareth College, so I think I am justified in telling you what these vacations are really like. They are the last freedom you have until after final exams. Your professors are all gonna give you assignments, projects, papers, yada, yada, yada. But let me give you a little piece of advice: Get all of it done before you leave campus.
I always have the best intentions when I have some time at home. I’m going to catch up on my reading; I’m going to get some research done; I’m going to write an outline for that essay. The list goes on. However, about 10 percent of the work, if that, actually is completed. Because any extended amount of free time at home means that you are in the wrong frame of mind for college work.
Here are some ways I (or friends of mine) have procrastinated during our vacations:
• Sleeping until 11 a.m.
• Netflix
• Making brownies with M&Ms
• Reading “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” for the tenth time
• Searching Pinterest for craft ideas
• Watching “Wedding Crashers” because it is on
• Reading every review on “The A.V. Club” or “Rolling Stone”
• Telling ourselves that one grade isn’t going to greatly affect our GPA
And I don’t necessarily think that enjoying yourself on break is a bad thing. Our entire semester is work, so I believe that breaks are necessary for normal mental health. Sure, taking naps every day and eating constantly might sound a little lazy, but I also think it is essential for recharging your batteries. There is no possible way to maintain the energy and workflow necessary for higher education without taking some time off to decompress. How else would anyone get through the last push to finals week?
So, with all that in mind, let me tell you what I will be doing next week: Nothing. Well, I’ll be sleeping, eating, shopping, reading books for fun, watching movies, and catching up with the family and pets. But I’m not going to beat myself up if (probably) none of my homework gets done. Sure, I’ll be mad at myself come Monday, but that is Future Rachel’s problem. Present Rachel needs some R&R. The annotated bibliography and book proposal can wait.
Written by Rachel Montpelier. Rachel is a senior at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. and is the editorial assistant at NextStepU.
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