While some students did not feel that their four day February Break provided a sufficient respite from the beginning of prelim season, other Cornellians used the break to recharge, travel and enjoy friends’ company.
For students who chose to stay in Ithaca, the break offered time to relax, spend time with friends and complete unfinished work.
“I mainly used [break] as an opportunity to apply for internships and catch up on work,” said Feyi Adeyeri ’24, who spent the break on campus.
As with all vacations, some students found that last-minute problems dictated their plans. Daniel Hu ’24 made plans to leave Ithaca, but he canceled after falling ill on the first day of break.
“I was debating going to New York because a lot of my friends went to New York or going back home because my parents wanted to see me,” Hu said. “Because I was sick the first day of break, I was like, it’s probably best to not go home. It’s too far, and I don’t want to get my family sick.”
Some Cornellians chose to travel over February Break, with New York City remaining a popular destination. But, for students like Colin Wu ’24, the short length of the break — only four days — made travel difficult or dissatisfying.
Wu took a day trip to New York City with two of his friends, but he expressed his wish for a few more days of break to extend his visit.
“If [break] were one or two more days longer, I would have actually enjoyed it as a vacation,” Wu said.
The problem was more acute for students whose families are far from campus. For some of these students, February Break felt too short to go home, compared to longer breaks like Spring or Winter Break.
“An extra day or two for travel would have been perfect,” Delesea McCruter ’25 said. “Had I gotten to go home, see my family, my friends back home, it would have felt more like a break.”
Other students found themselves busy with work during the break, forcing them to spend parts of it studying for exams or writing papers instead of relaxing.
Rachel Kang ’24 traveled to a retreat in Rome, New York with her church over the break. Although Kang said she enjoyed the change of scenery that came with leaving Ithaca, she had to squeeze in time to study for her Thursday prelim during the car rides there and back.
But Cornell’s high workload has also become routine for students. Yolanda Rodriguez ’25 said she spent much of her break catching up on assignments but has adjusted to spending most of her days on schoolwork.
“That’s just part of being a college student,” Rodriguez said.
Regardless of where and how students spent their February Break, they generally agreed that the four days provided a much-needed rest.
“I can focus better now,” Kang said. “Break was helpful for me to recharge.”