ZOE ROGERS / OPINION EDITOR

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.

Since the start of this academic year, Sept. 4, we have yet to be granted a single day off, excluding weekends. The first day of school was 10 weeks ago, marking the start of a taxing and exhausting semester. It’s common for schools to grant students a fall break, so why don’t we get one? While we have weekends incorporated in our academic schedule, those aren’t enough. The weekends do not allow room  for a productive  recuperation, as students are still worrying about the assignments in the upcoming week. Thanksgiving break itself is scheduled to be only five days including the weekend, which is not enough  for  10 consecutive   academic weeks of school. Incorporating a fall break between the start of school and Thanksgiving break would help USD students for the better by providing us with a well-deserved reset amid this academic season.  

After a three-month-long summer break, USD  students dove into the fall semester rejuvenated and fulfilled from their lengthy time off of school, reflecting on the pleasures that summer had to offer. Summer break is the perfect end of finals season and transition into the next academic year.  Although, when we return to school, assignments quickly load onto our schedules as we scramble to organize ourselves mentally and adapt to our new school routine. In order to maintain steady, high grades, we must dedicate a significant amount of time and mental capacity to our academics. Reliving this constant cycle of assignments, exams, essays and long work hours can be incredibly taxing. 

It’s typical for schools to give fall breaks a few weeks before Thanksgiving breaks; even my friends at San Diego State University received Veterans Day off.  Just a  few  days off, especially on federal holidays such as  Veterans Day, Presidents Day, or Columbus/Indigenous peoples Day, is the perfect way to reset  oneself and take a much needed break from an intense semester. However, USD does not grant us the liberty of having a fall break, so we must continue school from Sept. 4 to Nov. 27 — the start of Thanksgiving break. All together, we go through 12 weeks of school without a break. 

Not setting up allotted breaks is detrimental to students’ mental health, and it is  an easy  recipe for burnout, which can be harmful. Albert Einstein College of Medicine stated the causes and symptoms of burnout in students and why it is detrimental to college students. 

“Study burnout results from emotional and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress,” Albert Einstein College of Medicine stated. “It occurs when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest or motivation… Study burnout reduces your productivity and saps your energy.”

Recently, I have been feeling tired, worn out and mentally exhausted from the continuous days of work these past 10 weeks. When  speaking to my friends and classmates, I have noticed an underlying theme that many  USD students are worn out. In a recent conversation with my friend, I expressed that I was struggling to keep my motivation for the week, and I sometimes feel like I lack the energy I need to continue my assignments. My friend had expressed that she and her roommates were experiencing the same thing, and that to cope with these emotions, they took a trip to my friend’s house in Arizona during the weekend because they all felt like they “needed it.”  Students are taking their own fall breaks to travel, but including days off in the academic calendar would make it easier for students to get away without falling behind. A fall break would be great for students who want to visit home but don’t want to spend all of Friday and Sunday traveling to their far destination. 

Allowing students to have a fall break encourages students to rejuvenate. Photo Courtesy of @itscakefortea/Unsplash

Not only would providing students with a break between the start of school and Thanksgiving prevent burnout, allow for rejuvenating family time or trips home and promote mental well-being, but it can also influence academic  success. Students  who  are struggling  mentally   are  less  likely  to succeed in academics. Inside Higher Ed, an American news site focused on education, provided insight into the connection between students’ mental health and their academics.

 “Experts have long understood that students’ mental health struggles could also negatively impact  their  academic  performance, with severe mental health problems, leading students to suffer from plummeting grades or drop out,” Inside Higher Ed  reported.

If USD wants to support its student body and promote academic success, it must implement a fall break.  Granting us a fall break would allow us to harness the energy we need to continue through the remainder of our fall semester. While, yes, Thanksgiving break is about two weeks away, and we are already granted a long summer and winter break, incorporating a fall break of just two or three days on top of the weekend can benefit USD students significantly. Even removing a few days off of our summer or winter break and allowing us to use those days for a break in the fall would be a perfect solution to help the mental health of USD’s students. 

Allowing students to gasp for air during this long stretch of academic stress can help students for the better. This year has harnessed the emotions that come along with the election, as well as the typical balance of social life and learning. Being a student can often be suffocating, and it’s challenging to balance the different aspects of our lives, such as academic, social, personal and, for others, athletics. Including a fall break in our calendar would promote academic success and help USD students significantly by preventing burnout.  

USD students are drowning in school work and are in dire need of a break. Shannen Swars/The USD Vista