With Fall Break right around the corner, professors and students are having mixed feelings about whether the nine-day vacation is beneficial or harmful to students’ academic habits.

The main hitch is that the break is so late in the semester. The week of Dec. 2, when students return from break, is the week before Dead Week. After Dead Week, students are in the final stretch of the semester with finals, Dec. 16-20, before winter break.

“I think we have all earned a break,” said Hannah Zimmerman, freshman in pre-liberal studies. “It is a time to refresh after a busy semester.”

Students mainly feel that Fall Break is necessary to relax and not stress about assignments and exams for about a week.

“It is a time to rest for me,” said Noah Hefner, freshman in pre-computer science. “I plan on sleeping a lot.”

Many students feel it rejuvenates them after stressing over the past three months and can also ease their minds as the semester comes to an end.

“I think [Fall Break] is a good thing,” said Brad Baker, sophomore in pre-liberal studies. “It is a nice vacation and a good refresher with only two weeks of classes left.”

Not everyone on campus is as enthusiastic as the students, though.

Some faculty members, such as Nicola Wilson Clasby, graduate teaching assistant in English, do not feel the fall break benefits students in the long run.

“This is the worst time to have a break,” Wilson Clasby said. “We should have had break a couple weeks ago to gear up for the end of the semester. It puts so much pressure on students when they come back from break to get ready for finals.”

Clasby also said that the return from Fall Break is stressful for staff, as they have to motivate students and get them back on track academically. 

The nine days of vacation can also act as a reprieve for professors as many are spending their breaks getting caught up with grades.

Students often note the week before any break from classes is slow, tedious and often filled with exams and projects.

Fall break is no exception to those complaints.

Brittney Dunfee, sophomore in microbiology who had to take three exams this week, said, “I want to see my family and stuff, but I also want a break from the constant homework and the constant exams.”

Iowa State’s students are looking for a break from the seemingly relentless workload, but faculty members are reminding them to be prepared for when they come back from vacation.

“Students might have a feeling of false security [when they return from break], and that can often be deeply problematic,” Wilson Clasby said.