Dear Reader,

First of all, I want to acknowledge that this is a tough situation to be in. The concept of spring break is so commercialized and puts a lot of pressure on all of us to do something fun or trendy. I don’t even know how many spring break montages I’ve seen in movies or on TV shows. 

My hot take is that we should normalize doing nothing during breaks. Actually take a break! Most students— especially at Davidson—are feeling at least partial burnout at this point in the semester. Spending a week with friends is not always the best way to ensure you’ll come back to campus feeling fresh and ready for the second half of the semester.

But never fear, your spring break can still be a lot of fun! Maybe take the week to spend quality time with your family. It’s probably been at least a month and a half since you last saw them and chances are they miss you a lot. You should also see when your friends back home have spring break. If they have the same break and are home… perfect! But if they don’t have a break the same week you do, it could be a great opportunity to visit them wherever they go to school, even if it’s just for a weekend.

On a less fun but equally important note, you could take time during spring break to get ahead. Plan out the rest of the semester, work on assignments you’ve fallen behind on, apply for summer internships if you haven’t already, finally tackle whatever project you’ve been putting off. Being productive during this break could mean a smoother and less stressful end to your semester.

I would also definitely recommend having a conversation with your friends. Did they make plans without you, or is everyone just doing their own thing? Miscommunications and assumptions about people’s intentions can definitely lead to misunderstandings, so it would be worth clarifying. If you were intentionally left out, you may need to take time to reflect on those friendships. Do they really value you? Is this exclusion a pattern? If it is, these may not be the people you should be investing your time and energy into. Everyone deserves friendships that are supportive and reciprocal.

At the end of the day, be flexible and open-minded! Sometimes the best things happen when you don’t have any plans at all. And if nothing happens, just relax! Pretty soon you’ll be back on campus and that won’t be an option.

Wishing you a restful week away,

Annabel Groseclose ‘27