Georgetown University’s reputation as an academically rigorous institution is not falsely earned, as evidenced by the continuous slew of students filtering in and out of Lauinger Library at any given point of the day. It is a popular joke among the student body that once midterms begin at the start of October, they don’t end until finals commence. As a student whose midterm season — between the first and last exam — stretches for more than a month, I certainly echo this sentiment. The adjustment to Georgetown’s intensity and workload has certainly been challenging, but I welcomed it, knowing that respite was near.
Or, so I thought. While making arrangements to travel home over break, I was horrified to realize that only eighteen days separate the last day of finals (Dec. 21) from our first day of classes (Jan. 8). My dismay is shared by nearly 900 students who have signed a petition condemning this change. This year, Georgetown has shortened the winter break from the traditional three and a half weeks to just two and a half weeks, depriving students of desperately needed time to rest and recharge before the start of the spring semester.
It is unclear why the university has suddenly decided that an extra week of instruction takes precedence over the mental health and well-being of its student body. In the long-run, an additional two and a half hours of class time is unlikely to significantly improve students’ performance and comprehension. On the other hand, being robbed of a week’s worth of quality time with friends and family — free of academic stressors — is highly likely to take a toll on students. This is especially the case for international students hailing from places like Shanghai, Australia, Uganda and Saudi Arabia, locations much too far to return home for three days of Thanksgiving break — winter break is the only substantial period they have all year to return home.
The stress of four months away from family is compounded by having to start a grueling new semester just eighteen days after finishing the last one. Georgetown is an incredible institution with brilliant professors and fascinating coursework, but our classes are anything but easy. Having to recover and refocus so quickly will only hurt our long-term academic performance, and this condensed break is by no means the standard. Other elite institutions, such as Harvard University, give their students 4.5 weeks for winter break, while Yale University and Johns Hopkins University students are afforded a month.
Furthermore, students are not the only ones who need a break. A quicker return to classes means more work and less break for our professors, teaching assistants, maintenance staff and employees at our dining halls —nearly every member of our campus community is negatively affected by the decision to shorten our winter break.
Georgetown’s decision to keep students on campus so close to Christmas is also financially inconsiderate. Flight pricing notoriously spikes immediately before and after Dec. 25, placing immense financial strain on students traveling home for the holidays. The brevity of winter break also lessens students’ opportunities to work while at home. Personally, I had planned to earn money by working shifts at my former workplace, but the shortened break severely limits this opportunity.
Georgetown also prides itself on being a Tier 1 research university that prioritizes experiential learning, much of which happens over winter and spring break. A shorter winter break condenses both the length and the quality of students’ experience, as well as the final outcome of the program. This will make summer programs with more realistic time frames far more appealing, and as a result, far more competitive and exclusive, rendering these opportunities inaccessible to many Hoyas.
Ultimately, I cannot think of a single benefit to decreasing an already comparatively short winter break. In prioritizing the community’s mental, financial and academic well-being, Georgetown needs to provide students and faculty an appropriately-spaced winter break.
