This year, USC decided to implement fall break like many other universities on the east coast to give students a well-deserved break from schoolwork. This allows students time to relax and take their mind off of school in the middle of the semester. The Engemann Student Health Center had taken data from prior years which showed a need for a break around the eighth week of school as students had shown an increase counseling services. In the past, the University did not approve the break since they believed the students would take advantage of the break rather than focus on their mental health; but that’s exactly what I did. On the contrary to relaxing on campus, I chose to take the opportunity to relax on the beaches with my friends while taking a road trip with my friends. We took Pacific Coast highway all the way up to Santa Cruz, one of the most scenic and peaceful routes that I know of, and spent the day on one of the beaches eating ice cream and having a fun time with friends. Later on during the trip, we started making our way back down to San Luis Obispo where we camped on the beach and watched the sunset.
Many of my other friends stayed back on campus and got ahead on their schoolwork while a lot went home for a few days as well. You really can’t go wrong whether you’re spending time with friends or taking personal time as long as you enjoy what you are doing for the short period of time. In all, fall break is a great time to spend with friends and a much-needed time away from school, promoting mental health and connections with others. Fall break was by far my best memory with friends this semester and I can’t wait to see what the next years have in store!
