1.You’re working towards sand beaches, not snow banks
Let me be clear, I love winter break. I love the snow, Christmas and, most importantly, spending 22 hours per day either physically or mentally asleep. But summer break is winter break’s better half. It’s three times as long, filled with trips to the beach or the pool, and you aren’t battling a cold during its runtime. While it is filled with slightly more responsibility — internships, summer jobs — this is usually compensated by significantly more income than you’d get from shivering near a fireplace all day.
2. Each day is longer and brighter
My least favorite day of the year is the summer solstice because it means that, for six months, each successive day gets shorter and shorter. I don’t know why that bothers me so much, but it does. One day it will still be light at 9 p.m., but the next thing you know, you’re walking back from lecture at 4:15 p.m., and you see an owl. However, by the time spring semester rolls around, each day is getting longer. Eventually, you’ll begin to remember what it looks like to see the sun for more than eight minutes per day.
3. It’s basketball season
I, for one, enjoyed our abnormally-successful football season. We ended a 15-year Virginia Tech beatdown, held our own in the Orange Bowl and had our most wins since 2007. Somewhat ironically, this will probably be a worse basketball season than last year — we’re rebuilding, it’s a fact of life. But still, nothing beats the energy of a good basketball game at JPJ — if only the Sabre points overlords would allow me entry.
4. Spring break is the ultimate half-time show
Sure, fall semester has more breaks. But they are shorter, and one of them is overshadowed by the impending pressure of midterms. Spring semester understands that quality is better than quantity — thus, spring break was born. While you may still have a midterm on its heels, you’ll feel less guilty about blowing it off when you’re lounging on a hammock in Cancun.
5. Your short sleeve shirts will see the light of day
Remember that other half of your wardrobe? Those shirts that cut off at the elbow — I think they were called T-shirts? The ones you haven’t seen since Halloween, with the exception of that one blissfully warm day in December that reminded you that global warming is a thing? Get ready. They’re coming back.
6. The common cold is gone…
…and replaced with allergies. This is kind of a pyrrhic victory, but at least it’s something. For me, common colds are never-ending. I catch one in early October — the first time it falls below 46 degrees — and it sticks around until mid-March. Allergies, on the other hand, are kind enough to let you suffer for the first couple weeks of spring bloom before easing up a bit.
7. You have New Year’s resolutions to keep you honest and hold you accountable
Just kidding. Every year, I tell myself I am going to read for fun. Then I read my textbooks and decide that reading isn’t fun. I swear, one day I am going to get around to reading “The Da Vinci Code.” One day. Maybe once I’m out of school, but not over winter break — that’s break. Not over summer break, either — that’s for relaxing. So maybe when I’m 26.
8. The secondary holidays are better
You have your big-ticket items — Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza — and then the rest. You know, the second-tier holidays that add pops of flavor to the year. Fall semester, you have Columbus Day, which is losing its luster in light of … the fact that Christopher Columbus probably shouldn’t have a day. In spring semester, however, you get Saint Patrick’s, April Fools and Memorial Day, just to name a few. Sure, you have to get through Valentine’s Day — which, if you’re like me, you spend alone in your room, eating Chef Boyardee ravioli and binge-watching “Top Chef All-Stars” — but overall, it’s a better haul.
9. You’re older and wiser
For you first-years, all of the mistakes you made fall semester will serve you well in the spring. You’ll have learned the valuable lessons — don’t take 19 credits of STEM classes, the chicken tenders in Croads taste vaguely like cigarettes — and you’ll come back stronger and better than ever.
10. Watermelon is back in season
I know you all expected this to be the first thing I listed, but I decided to play with you all and wait until the article was almost over. You were probably thinking, “Did he forget that watermelon is back in season come May?” I did not. Yes, I understand May is the tail-end of spring semester, but it is the perfect treat for finals season. It’s a refreshing contrast from fall semester finals, where you probably had to sustain yourself on canned fruits and beans.
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