Due to the unusual nature of this year’s school schedule, Azusa Pacific had only two weeks between Thanksgiving and Winter Break, bringing on a new amount of stress and overwhelm for students during Finals Week.

While students usually look forward to Thanksgiving Break as a chance to unwind, and recover from the last two months which lacked any day off from school other than the weekends, this year proved to be much different than those of the past. 

Due to the change in school calendar this year, Azusa Pacific starts Winter Break on Saturday, Dec. 14 and returns to school on Jan. 6th for the Spring semester. 

This is different compared to years in the past which usually sees the start of Winter Break during the week of Christmas instead of a whole week before it. 

For some, especially within my household, this now puts students out of sync with the California school system which ends school the week after Azusa Pacific wraps up their Finals Week.

Additionally, with having an earlier break, this meant that there was only two weeks in between Thanksgiving and Winter Break. 

Speaking for myself, I had all my big finals due on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving Break so I was expected and encouraged to do homework over the break in order to be prepared for my final presentations immediately after the so-called break.

Stephanie Moussa, ‘25, shared, “The whole point of Thanksgiving break then was to take a week off and enjoy the holiday with family. This year was completely different. I had family in town but only got to spend two days with them because I was in the library every other day trying to finish 12 assignments. It wasn’t a restful week at all—more like a week to catch up on homework. And none of it was late; everything was either due that week or right after, so it all had to get done…It just felt like it was nonstop. There wasn’t a moment to really breathe or catch up. The pace made it hard to feel rested or ready for finals. Honestly, I felt like I was playing catch-up the whole time, which was exhausting. Having a little more space between breaks would’ve helped so much.”

Jared Wright, a grad student at Azusa Pacific said he didn’t receive much of a notice from his professors about the work expectations over the break until he was tasked with several discussion posts over the Break and even had a project due right after the break that needed more attention during Thanksgiving than he had intended to provide.

Hailey Hilton, ‘25, shared that she had two 25-page papers to work on over break and was unable to access them during the break while also being expected to study for her final exams but yet was unable to access her assignments over break so was unable to get ahead on her work. She added, “I would honestly rather [not] take the break and instead add it onto Christmas Break instead of going to break, coming back for finals, and then leaving again. I feel like it’s hard to keep motivated after Thanksgiving Break.”

Not only did the shortened time between breaks add an unusual amount of academic pressure to ensure one is prepared for the two weeks of Finals, it also led to an internal pressure when trying to spend more time with friends before departing for another break once again.

Katelynn Sonnier, ‘26, shared that she even deleted social media for the two weeks between breaks saying she felt like “she didn’t have any time for distractions or even a study break at times.”

I personally felt guilty about trying to see my friends because I felt like any time I had during those two weeks between breaks should be dedicated to working on final projects. Any time not used toward that felt to me to be a waste of time and would weigh heavy on me lately, which is a difficult psychological effect especially after dealing with burnout from the semester.

Ricky Lopez, ‘25, added that he also suffered from not getting the chance to rest over the break. He shared that the “shorter time in between breaks really made it more stressful getting everything in on time, both homework and finances alike. Also, I feel like I can’t enjoy the holiday spirit with my friends, especially the ones who graduate this winter, because of the time I needed to prep and study for finals.”

This also meant cramming final projects into just two weeks between the breaks instead of having three weeks to wrap my classes and put forth one’s best effort to wrap up the fall semester.

Hannah Grace Ciccari, ‘25, said she even wrote papers in the airport and turned assignments in on the way back without ever feeling like she could just fully rest. She said, “It feels so rushed finishing the semester and never feeling like I could catch my breath or be fully present with the people in front of me.”

On this note, Wright added that since he only has one grad class during this semester, he didn’t see the value in flying back for just two weeks when he could save money and just stay home instead. He also said, the hardest part about this schedule is that he feels more checked out than usual because he knew there wasn’t a lot of time left to get work done.

Meanwhile Taya Knack, ‘25, said while she didn’t have many assignments during Thanksgiving Break itself, she had so much due right after the break, forcing her to feel like she never got the chance to truly take a break. She added, “The short time between breaks was a bit inconvenient because I live in Washington so having to fly back and forth for such a short period of school was really expensive and not worth it.”

And lastly, the effects of this shortened time between breaks and the increase in workload over Thanksgiving Break forced students to continue to work and grind during the holidays that are meant to be spent with family and friends. The break is also meant to be a chance to reset, take care of yourself, and start fresh going into finals week but due to the amount of workload placed upon students in this shortened time, many including myself did not have the chance to truly rest and recover over the break.

Nicole Silva, ‘24, shared that she had never had work over break before in college and shared the same sentiments that students deserve the chance to take a break and just simply be with family: “Being in the moment is more important than getting work done throughout break.”

For Silva, who graduated in December, she felt an even greater sense of urgency over everything in ensuring final papers were finished in time and she could have enough time to pack before graduation.

I hope that the school takes this change into consideration when determining the schedule for years to come and to those who struggled to rest this semester, you got through it and know that all hard things eventually pass. Take the Winter Break to rest, reset, and prepare your mind more than your work to have a great Spring semester!