Fall break brought a much needed break to Syracuse students

Fall break came and went, marking halfway through the fall semester for students. The two day break was implemented at Syracuse University just three years ago and gives students an opportunity to spend the time off however they choose. An Orange Pulse survey this week aimed to find out how students decided to spend their break.

Some Syracuse students, like senior Jacob Mangel, used the time off to travel with his friends. He visited Montréal over the weekend and stayed with a friend after hearing that it was “distinct from the typical American culture” in Syracuse.

“It’s relatively close and just different,” said Mangel. He recounted walking around the city and looking at history, but said his highlight was what he ate. “The food is a lot better, and it’s a nice change in palate to have actual fresh, nice food.”

Photo by Alex Calabrese

Montréal’s Vieux Port is one of the city’s top tourist attractions.

Mangel wasn’t the only one who headed to Canada for the long weekend. 8% of respondents to the survey said they also headed up north for some time off.

“It’s close and fall break is technically five days long for some people who don’t have class on Friday,” said Mangel, when asked about why he thought other students decided to visit Canada for their break. “It’s like a perfect, short getaway and worth it.”

The majority of students said they drove to their destinations this weekend, totaling 48.3% of all survey answers. The next most common response was flying at 20.2%. Students taking a bus or a train had equal replies, only equaling 5% each.

The biggest thing most students agreed on was that fall break came at a good time in the semester, and it was heavily needed. On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being the least needed and 5 being the most, a combined 85% of respondents rated the necessity of fall break at a 4 or 5.

“It’s right at the time during midterms, which I think is the most important time to get a few extra days off,” said senior Ronny Gattuso. “I remember freshman year, when we didn’t have fall break, it was very stressful.”

Gattuso is a senior studying computer engineering. He had an exciting break, taking a trip down to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia to visit his sister and then exploring Philadelphia. He said Syracuse’s break schedules usually don’t align with other schools, so it was nice to get time off.

“I’m taking 19 credits this semester with engineering, so it’s very tough,” said Gattuso. “It was really good to get some time off and not think about doing homework or anything. I had my midterms last week and got them over with, so I didn’t have anything to think about for like two days.”

Not everyone took fall break as an opportunity to travel, with 21% of respondents saying they stayed on campus and another 27% staying in New York state. Students living on the East Coast may have had the opportunity to go home, but this wasn’t the case for everyone.

“I live in California, so it’s very hard to travel back and forth, especially for a short break like fall break,” said English education major Maurissa DeMello. “But I hung out with some friends and went apple picking, which was so much fun. And on Sunday, we hosted a brunch with our friends.”

Photo by Jessica Nester

Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards is free for anyone to visit, with different apples to pick every day.

DeMello said she remembers not having fall break her freshman year, but now she thinks the extra two days off during midterms is very beneficial.

“This semester has definitely been a struggle for me,” said DeMello. “As a senior, I have a lot going on. Sometimes you need a break, and hanging out with your friends gives you that break.”

Rhys Francis is a senior studying political philosophy. He also spent his fall break in Syracuse and used it as a time to relax and catch up on things in his personal life.

“I just hung around getting a lot of things I needed to get done but never found time to do during the busy school year,” said Francis. “I cleaned my house more thoroughly, I got to clean my room and get ahead on a lot of life tasks that were taking a backseat to things that happened during the school year.”

He admitted to taking an easier course load this semester than what he’s had in the past, but thinks the weekend of fall break comes at a good time in the semester.

“You’ve been kind of going nonstop since the start of the year and it’s nice to breathe a little bit and get some time off,” said Francis.

Students during fall break aren’t entirely off the hook when it comes to thinking about school. 56% of participants in the survey said they either had homework to work on or assignments due during the two days off.

“I don’t have homework due dates over fall break, but I have readings and homework due before Wednesday’s class,” said DeMello.

As students make the transition back into school for the rest of their three-day week, the countdown through the remaining eight weeks of the semester is on, with no shortage of upcoming campus events to participate in or homework to do.