By: Molly Gase

After 16 weeks of nonstop papers, exams, cases, analyses and projects, we could all use a break.

Professors’ assigning copious amounts of work at the end of the semester just to ensure that we have “absorbed all of the material throughout the course” is basically driving all of UA’s students beyond their normal stress capacity. However, it comes with the territory.

As students, we bend over backward to reach deadlines and achieve the abundant workload during the semester. You would think that by the end of the semester, it would slow down. On the contrary, it seems like the most amount of work is assigned at the very end.

In just two weeks, this semester will finally be over. Some students will graduate in December, some will go home for a full month and some will stay on campus and work. For those of you who do not have to work every single day over break, and even for those who do, this is your time! This is your time to relax, your time to go on an adventure, your time to have a mental break from all of the hard work you have put in this semester. You now have the time to do all of the things you wanted to do during the semester, but never had the time.

Read a book, go for a walk, learn how to snowboard, spend time with friends and family, meet someone new; the possibilities for a month long break are endless. Take this time to recoup and let yourself simply de-stress.

Enjoy the simple things in life that you do not regularly get to enjoy. If it is nice outside, be outside.  Even if it is snowing, experience life outside and not cooped up in the library. Treat yourself to a night out. Do not hold back because we all know that spring semester is just a few weeks away and we will, yet again, be on overload.

So, to everyone at UA, students and faculty, enjoy this break! Do something fun and, honestly, just let yourselves relax. We all deserve it.