We are less than a week away from our nice, long, stress-free winter break. All UMD students know that winter break is both the best and worst part of the school year. Unlike a lot of other schools, Maryland’s winter break is super long and lasts six weeks.
These five stages sum up how a UMD student’s winter break usually goes.
Phase 1: The Party Animal
You just finished a week of stressful finals and a semester of deadlines, papers, exams and stress. All of your friends are home from college and guess what? No one has class, exams or responsibilities to worry about, so everyone wants to party!
For the first part of winter break, you’ll probably hit up every bar in your hometown and every house party ever spoken of. College students have to release all of that post-semester stress somehow!
Phase 2: The Holidaze
UMD’s fall semester is typically longer than most schools. So, the stress of finals and college work that lasts halfway through December can sometimes make you forget that it’s holiday season.
If as soon as classes end you find yourself completely drowning in the holiday fun, you’ve definitely hit this phase of winter break. All the holiday parties, making holiday cookies, Christmas lights and family traditions are some of the best parts of getting to come home for winter break, so enjoy it!
Phase 3: The School Withdrawal
The holidays have ended and many of your friends that go to universities out of state are already returning back to school. You watch your friends start classes again and enjoy college life while you still have about an entire month left until UMD classes start again.
You may experience serious FOMO during this phase of winter break, but don’t worry! There are many other UMD peeps feeling the same way!
Phase 4: The Borderline Psychotic
Your family is starting to get on your nerves and you just finished an entire Netflix series. You rarely come out of your room. And yes, it’s about that time: you’re thinking you should maybe text your ex from back home. Bored without your school friends and lively school campus, you frantically start searching for a new hobby.
What activities will you take on this winter break out of boredom? Pinterest crafting, baking, making a “finsta?” Opportunities are endless when you’re bored and missing College Park!
Phase 5: The Slump
Well, you’re officially over those new hobbies you picked up out of boredom. Your “finsta” account isn’t getting all the likes you had hoped and dreamed it would, and if your parents annoy you one more time, you might move to California.
You’re only a few weeks away from the spring semester and you refuse to do anything else this winter break until you’re finally back at school. Hang in there, you’ve almost made it!