Why I’m looking forward to staying on campus for Spring Break

For the past week, I have been met with countless looks of pity and sympathy when I tell people I am staying on campus for Spring Break. This could also be because it usually follows with me going off on a five minute rant about how my only friends will be the campus squirrels, but that is besides the point.

I am here to convince you, and maybe more so myself, as to why staying on campus for the Spring Break is the move.

Your snapchats will be the ones to watch

Adorable labradoodles, cheap alcohol, and crowded beaches that look as terrifying as the stampede scene in The Lion King. This pretty much sums up every college student’s typical social media post over break. But when you’re on campus, your instagrams are going to be unique.

While your friends may post National Geographic-esque photos of some city skyline, you can show them how you finally sorted out the feng shui of your apartment. Also, someone needs to experiment with the latest snapchat filters.

Your monthly bank account statement will never look better

At the end of the break, your friends are going to getting lectures by parents about all the late night Ubers. However, you get to be the responsible friend. After all, it’s not like you’re going anywhere.

While someone’s Venmo feed will include crazy expenses from a fancy seafood dinner by the beach, your receipt will feature the ingredients of the week’s delicious home cooked meals.

Finding a seat is never a problem

Imagine this: it’s Disney World and college kids are fighting over a park bench with some elderly couple in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Legs sore, and stomachs bloated with popcorn and Mickey-shaped ice cream, overpopulation has never seemed to be a more apparent issue.

Now fade to you at the DUC, where there are more open seats than those blue squares in OPUS shopping carts. Rebecca Black hasn’t had to make a decision like this since 2011.

There’s no one around to judge you

As a self-proclaimed cluts, embarrassing myself in public is the norm, and therefore so is the judgement that follows.

At a crazy house party, you know someone is bound to drunkenly fall into the pool. Everyone and their neighbour’s dog will probably hear that bellyflop. But when you’re on campus, there’s no one for miles to judge you when you trip over your own feet.

Your organisation and planning skills drastically improve

This may seem like a stretch, but hear me out. With the adjusted hours for all the dining halls on campus, you find yourself having to plan your sleep-ins, Netflix binge sessions, and attempts at catching up on class readings, just so that you can make it to Cox before 5pm.

Not to mention that you have to find ways to arrange your calendar to list all the exciting activities and events you are looking forward to.

 

You learn more about your campus and your peers

By spending so much time on campus, you start to pick up on things that you did not realise before. For example, who knew that Dankbaar Taco replaced Bad Dog Taqueria in Village after a hit-and-run by the latter’s owner last year?

As for the students, you start to feel a sort of camaraderie when you see international students and fellow campus-residers passing you on the way to your dorm.

Your apartment is the cleanest it has ever been

Was that Chipotle bag always under your bed? Is that why the ladybugs are inside my room right now? Do ladybugs even like Chipotle?

These are the types of questions you find yourself asking. Aside from around finals season, you don’t have to time to notice how messy your room really is. If there’s any time to be proactive, it is now. With so much time to yourself, you learn to become an interior decorator, carpenter, and exterminator all in a week.

Put that on your résumé.

You also get to rehearse your Spring Break recap

After every break comes the inevitable, and sometimes dreaded, “How was your Spring break?” interrogation. Worry no more because now you have 10 days to come up with a reason as to why you declined the thoughtful invitations to stay at your friend’s vacation home.

Lastly, you get a lot more time with your independent self

In all seriousness, Spring Break on campus is the perfect opportunity to have some alone time. With the hustle and bustle of the academic year, and the stress of assignments and midterms the week finally dissolved, the peace that comes with an empty campus is like no other. There’s a reason after all The Princeton Review selected Emory as a green college in 2015. Now you can actually appreciate the scenic beauty of our campus.

Finally, we are lucky to be in such a boisterous city. Atlanta has tons of cool easter eggs that are just waiting to be discovered. Sometimes you need to treat yourself and independently explore what the city has to offer.

So, whether you want to catch up on classes, or just emotionally recharge yourself before retreating to the library for the next round of exams, a time to yourself is what you deserve.

Next time forget the airplane tickets, and instead curl up in your apartment with your favourite companion – you.