Homework over vacation is no break

Algebra, chemistry, foreign language, labs, managing studies, family and a job; these are just a few things that collegians deal with on a regular basis. Many students anxiously awaited spring break only to have their plans for fun in the sun extinguished by the need to study and complete projects due this week. A January survey conducted by mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, and the Associated Press found that of the 2,253 students from 40 random four-year campuses surveyed, 80 percent said they feel day-to-day stress and 63 percent said that they have been stressed to the point where they could not get school work done. According to a 2008 survey done by the Center for Student Health and Life, 27 percent of college students say they are doing poorly or very poorly at managing stress. Greater academic demands headed the list of common stressors for college students.

For students like freshman Ashley Reynolds, getting good grades is nice, but time off from her hectic work and study schedule is what she says she needs. Reynolds, who works and attends college full time, said spring break was anything but a break. "Maintaining good grades [is] important to me so I have to study. There are life necessities I need, so I have to work," she said. The pre-nursing student said she feels the most stress when an assignment and a test are due around the same time. "It's important for me to complete my education so that I can get a job in the field. I don't plan on working at KFC for the rest of my life," she said. For her, spring break included a trip to the Maag Library.

Anna Bobby, Maag Library operations manager, said there is usually always a decrease in the amount of people that come to the library during breaks. "We had a flow of request for material because people had papers due this week, but attendance in the library is always lower," she said.

Some students have questioned the purpose of spring break. Is it an opportunity for a vacation from school schedules or is it a time to review and catch up on the college workload?

Senior Rocco Sabino had a paper due the Monday after spring break. Sabino said he tried to get it out of the way as soon as possible so that he could enjoy his break. "Time off from college should be more of a break rather than doing school work," he said. Sabino also said instructors should try to have all test papers assigned before or after break so that assignments weren't mandated during it.

Freshman Raveon Neely said she tries not to get stressed out about homework because it's just another part of college life. Neely said she understands the need to study during break. "I take it one day at a time and do the work as soon as possible to get it out of the way," she said.

Faculty also consider students when making assignments over break.

Teresa Volsko, program director of respiratory care, said her students used the break time to play catch up. She said her paramedic students also participated in learning experiences in the campus lab and an experimental lab at the Ohio State University. Volsko also worked alongside her students during the break.

Dr. Maria E. Delost, director of clinical laboratory programs in the department of health professions, advised her students to review Web exams and practice during the break, but did not give them any new assignments. "Students graduating this spring have a lot to review," she said. Delost said she understands that many of her students use the time to catch up on life events at home and she used a democratic approach for assigning work prior to and during break. "The students choose to take their exams before break and use the break time to study for their clinical and registry exams," she said.