Plenty of college students leave early for spring break, but have you ever wondered how to do it yourself? With college’s excessive amount of coursework and extracurriculars, it might seem like an impossible feat! But sometimes leaving campus early is the best option, whether it’s to catch a cheaper flight to your getaway destination or to go on the longest vacation possible. With a little planning and organization, though, it’s definitely achievable to get out of Champaign-Urbana before break officially begins! Here are eight easy steps you can take.
Check (and recheck!) the syllabus.
Go over all your syllabi and make note of any assignments due the week before spring break. Know it like the back of your hand so there won’t be any surprises when it’s finally time to leave for break.
Get homework done ahead of time.
If there are any big assignments, group projects, or presentations due that week, make a plan to get your homework done before leaving. You can also make your life easier by looking ahead to assignments due the week after break. If you get them done (or at least started) before leaving campus, you can rest easy knowing you won’t have to do any homework during break!
Rearrange exams, quizzes, or presentations as needed.
If there are any important dates that can’t be done ahead of time, find out if there’s any way you can rearrange things to accommodate your spring break plans. If you have a legitimate reason, your professor might just let you take an exam or quiz ahead of time or excuse you from presenting a project. This is up to the professor though, so don’t count on being out of town during an exam unless you find it absolutely necessary!
Notify your professors well in advance.
If you have any classes where participation is taken (don’t forget iClicker points!), make sure to let your professor that you won’t be there. Don’t forget to ask if it will be counted as an excused absence—you never know how lenient the professor is unless you ask.
See if any classes are cancelled the week before spring break.
Look at your syllabi to see if there any days before spring break when class isn’t held. Sometimes, professors want a longer spring break, too! It’s also important to keep an eye out on courses’ homepages and in your email for announcements about class cancellations.
Take care of your work schedule.
If you work a job or internship, this is a huge to-do before leaving campus early! It’s even more important than talking to your professors—your employer hired you for your reliability. Find a replacement for shifts you’re missing or offer to work extra hours before or after spring break.
Make a list of any meetings you might miss.
If any weekly meetings are scheduled during days you’ll be gone, make sure to let the exec board, leaders, or whoever is in charge know that you won’t be there. Find out if you’ll be missing anything important—ask someone who’s going to fill you in.
Enjoy your extended Spring Break!
With these steps, you should be able to take care of everything imaginable and make it possible to embark on your spring break adventure early!