MDC Students Deserve A Break Too

Spring break, a week to party, hang out with friends, and travel, unless you happen to be a Miami Dade College student.

Yep, you read that right, MDC students have the misfortune of attending one of the few schools that does not offer a spring break.

As far back as history has been recorded, people have celebrated the arrival of the warm spring season, including the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Spring break, however, began its popularity through two events: Fort Lauderdale’s construction of Florida’s first Olympic-sized pool in 1928 and the release of MGM Studio’s movie, Where The Boys Are, in 1960.

Since then, Spring Break has blossomed into a nationwide week of fun in the middle of the Spring semester.

So why doesn’t MDC take part in this unofficial holiday? No one knows.

Comparing MDC’s academic calendar to FIU’s, there is no difference to when school starts, and when school ends, except for the fact that FIU has a spring break.

It may not seem like a big deal, but studies actually show adding a spring break to a school’s academic calendar can actually help students perform better.

In a recent study conducted at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota and released by the Journal of Adolescent Health, 70 percent of college students receive less than the eight recommended hours of sleep.

In the same study, it was revealed that stress related factors additionally play a large role in the sleep deprivation of college students. The survey, conducted on 1,125 students, found that 68 percent of students have trouble falling asleep due to academic and emotional stress, resulting in later bedtimes.

“As a student, I think we need a break, and relax from our busy lifestyles” says Tayler Alvarez, a sophomore at MDC Kendall Campus.

Considering this data, one could bring up the argument that a spring break would help students focus better in school. Surprisingly enough, though, not all students seem to agree.

“Even though taking a break could be good, the risk of losing the pace that you’ve established for yourself during the middle of the semester poses a big problem for students’ study habits,” says Jose Medina, a sophomore at Wolfson Campus.

Spring break may be a blessing or a curse for the average student, but personally, I believe it gives students an opportunity to alleviate stress, and prepare for finals.

It also gives students an opportunity to catch up on sleep, which would not be possible without a commitment-free week.

With school, work, and extracurricular activities, we often burn ourselves out within a very short period of time, so an enforced rest period would be ideal to the majority of students (and faculty).

Our spring breaks don’t have to be like those in the hedonistic movie Spring Breakers with Vanessa Hudgens and James Franco, but sleeping in until noon would be just fine by me.