Semester system creates long winter break

Students share their plans for the first extended winter break.
William Lincoln | Fourth-year electrical systems engineering student

“I love having a long break this year. I’m able to go home and do a bit of traveling. Home for me is in Boston. Since I live so far away from home, this long break gives me the chance to visit and spend time with family [that] I don’t get to see that often. It’s still a little adjustment period getting used to semesters so it’s a good break to have.”

 

David Yacoub | Fourth-year computer engineering student

“I’m super excited [and] very hyped. I plan to spend it with family and enjoying Christmas time and the New Year’s. I might go skiing in Big Bear potentially with all the snow [and] maybe take my husky with me.”

 

 

Paulina Lopez | Clinical practice placement coordinator

“For staff employees the winter break has not changed with the semester system and we have the same 8-10 days and return after New Year’s Day. We miss our students while they are on a longer break, however it will give us a bit more time to catch up on paperwork and prepare for the coming semester which will give us more time to interact with our students.”

 

Melanie Maldonado | Second-year business marketing student

“It’s a pleasant surprise; I’m pretty excited for the longer break. I think that means that I can go to more concerts and relax more because this [semester] has been really stressful, not going to lie.”

 

 

Carlos Lopez | First-year computer information systems student

“Now that I know there’s a longer break I’m definitely going to be hanging out with friends. I dorm here so I won’t be in the dorms this whole break. I’ll definitely be going back to L.A.”

 

 

Stuart Nealy Jr., | Second-year regenerative studies graduate student

“I plan to go to Australia, but my thesis proposal got moved back to Dec. 17 so I think I’ll still be here replanting succulents at the Lyle Center. I love the long winter break so it’s too bad I’ll be graduating next semester. I would’ve appreciated a longer break when I was in the quarter system.”

 

Leon Strayer, | Student Support & Equity Programs academic adviser

“I am planning on spending a lot of time with family and eating a lot. I’m thinking about ordering Netflix so I can stream movies, documentaries and explore what Netflix has to offer because I’ve heard good things about it. I think the long break is a good break for the students who worked really hard for the first semester and adjusted to the longer time period. It gives a lot of the staff and administration a chance to come and ease back into it to get ready for the spring semester. In quarters, we would all come back the same day whereas now, students come back on Jan. 22. So, some faculty may come back a week or two before that to start preparing for the semester.”

 

Lydia Nolte, | Fourth-year English literature student

“The first thing on my agenda is that I am going to Lake Arrowhead with some of my friends from the triangle fraternity. We’re going to spend a couple of days up there for [a] winter retreat and then I’m going to focus more on family. We’re going to stay in a cabin in Northern California and hopefully I’ll get a lot of writing done. Some of my writing would be on poetry, short stories and stuff like that. Although, I wish that our break could be just a bit longer so that way we could get an intersession because I’d like to get ahead. Other schools have intersessions so students can get ahead in classes so that would be nice.”

Photos and quotes compiled by staff writers Elizabeth Hernandez and Natali Perez.

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