Fall Break marks the first major time off for students during the college year. This can mean time to catch up on sleep, family and enjoy a little mental rest. And eat loads of delicious food, of course.

Though it is important for students to use this time to catch up on their own physical and mental health, they should also be mindful of the weeks following break. There are only two short weeks after break before students will be heading to their final exams, meaning three weeks before Winter Break altogether. This happens to be a much shorter transition from Fall to Winter break than many students might be used to from the past.

If students haven’t properly prepared for final projects, presentations and tests before break, they could find themselves in quite the frenzied bind when they return to school. And that means the relaxation offered by the week before can be useless when taking on all the stress of the next several weeks of the semester.

Though break can be used as a time for rest and relaxation, both necessary in a busy student’s life, it can also be the perfect opportunity to get ahead in school work without the pressure of deadlines. This takes some planning before running off to home, but this can mean the difference between a smooth end to a semester and a disaster.

Freshman certainly should take this time to prepare for their first finals and manage their end-of-the-year class schedules. Making a schedule of homework due the week after break and taking some textbooks home to complete assignments can make a huge difference in a stress-free return week.

Even if you don’t want to spend the break working on homework, that doesn’t mean you should spend the entire time on the couch during break. This is also a great chance to take part in community activities and find some time to volunteer over the holidays.

Completely letting yourself go over break can definitely be tempting, but that will only make it that much more difficult to get going again when students make their way back to Ames. Finding a good balance between resting up and staying caught up can make all the difference in how you function as a student when you come back to crack open the books.