It’s that time of year when Christmas songs play on the radio, lights are glowing on people’s houses and holiday decorations are strung up all around town.
Students, however, spend this time of the year listening to final lectures and cramming for finals week. Spending the measly three weeks between fall break and winter break studying for final tests is understandably prioritized over cheer.
Students just came back from a week free of classes on fall break where we could rest and spend time with family. And now, there is only one thing that stands in the way of winter break — three weeks.
Lindsay Trombly | Argonaut
A week of classes, dead week and finals week during December is what every student has to look forward to in fall semester.
But, what is the point in having these three weeks of school implemented in December when students are already getting burnt out of their fall classes — especially coming back from fall break?
Many students ultimately lose motivation after having a week off, and might not try as hard as they could, especially if they don’t have much work coming back from a week of stuffing their face with turkey.
Some students take on a heavy amount of credits and a full three weeks might sound like a large amount of time. But for the many students not taking a heavy credit load, these three weeks trudge on with little to do. These students don’t have many finals at all and really don’t have a point in being in Moscow for finals week. Some of these students have the possibility of leaving town at the end of dead week to go home to their family festivities.
We are all equally stressed in these three weeks of school because professors pack on and assign big projects with tests to fill in our grades to complete for the semester. Ultimately, packing all of this within two weeks can drive a student crazy.
To top that off, within all the studying and stresses, the gloomy weather can take a deadly turn for the worst in Moscow during the three weeks leading to winter break. Last year, the weather on the Palouse created some treacherous road conditions for winter travel. It was questionable if students would be able to make it back home, let alone travel back to the university in January. The weather hasn’t taken that turn yet, but with North Idaho weather, we can never be too careful.
The snow hits the the mountain roads and creates black ice which makes driving conditions unsafe for students driving long distances home for winter break. If they can’t drive home because of the weather, or because of how far away they live, the only option is to fly to their destination.
Depending on where a student is from, airplane ticket prices skyrocket, especially during the holiday season. Students don’t always have the funds to make this trip home, and sometimes are stuck in Moscow for their winter break just like they were for fall break.
It makes sense to just end the semester before fall break or at least entertain the idea. In these three weeks, there are not many assignments left for students, we risk traveling again in the treacherous weather and most importantly we might get the chance to avoid the procrastination that takes over our bodies.
Ultimately, it is worth it to add those extra few weeks of winter break and replace that time somewhere else in the semester.
Lindsay Trombly can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @lindsay_trombly