With spring semester just around the corner, students at Florida A&M and Florida State universities have to start getting ready for some in-person classes. Many students have said they are a little uneasy about not having a spring break, which will also make the spring term unlike any previous spring semester.
Jacoshiya Johnson , third year biology pre-med student at FAMU, has already registered for spring classes and won’t really have to make many changes.
“I have my own apartment,” Johnson said. “The transition really won’t be a problem because i’m already currently in Tallahassee.”
Johnson doesn’t really enjoy online instruction so she’s looking forward to being back on campus.
“I’m actually really excited to go back on campus,” Johnson said. “I prefer to do in-person lectures because I learn better that way.”
Although she is ready to be in person with professors, Johnson isn’t happy about the cancellation of spring break.
“I’m really upset about not having a spring break because that’s the only time I actually get a break from school and have fun without worrying about work,” Johnson said. “I think i’ll be more stressed just like I am now.”
Amani Commodore, third year retail entrepreneurship student at FSU, has a mix of both in-person and online instruction for the spring semester.
“As of now, all of my classes, except for one, are online,” Commodore said. “I believe Florida State is still supposed to be offering students the option to take their in-person classes online. If that’s the case, I will do all of my classes online.”
Commodore prefers online instruction and is nervous about how motivated she’ll be for next semester.
“I’m a little uneasy about being in person next semester,” Commodore said. “Although I’ll only have one class on campus, my motivation level has gotten really low this fall. I’m worried about how I’ll be able to pull it together to go to class and get back into the habit of studying. I prefer online learning because I’ve gotten well acquainted with it. Online learning gives me flexibility to do assignments and watch lectures on my own time. The downside to online learning is that I have to be very disciplined when it comes to taking my own notes and making sure I understand the material, but the fact that I can do everything from my bed makes up for it.”
Commodore also doesn’t agree with her school’s decision to not have a spring break.
“I feel as though if FSU can host their annual Parent’s Weekend, or if we can travel home for Thanksgiving, we can get a spring break,” Commodore said. “I think a lot of people will end up making plans and traveling, either way, during the time of spring break. Although spring break is near the end of the semester, I think it’ll make it harder for me to remain motivated throughout the spring. Having a rigorous workload for an extensive period of time is going to wear on my ability to retain information, my attention span and more importantly my mental health. All I can say is that I am very glad this is my junior year, so after next spring, graduating will be my motivation to push through.”
Regan Nesbit , a third year business administration student at FAMU, was one of many students who decided to live at home during the fall semester.
“For the fall semester, I stayed off campus and back home in Atlanta,” Nesbit said. “I’ll be making the transition for the spring by moving back to Tallahassee and making sure I have a bunch of PPE to stay safe and healthy.”
Nesbit is concerned about how safe it will be to have in-person instruction.
“I’m very nervous about having in-person classes next semester,” Nesbit said. “I know i’ll be cautious about everything that I do, but I don’t know about everybody else and what they have going on. I just have to make sure I’m doing what I’m supposed to do to stay healthy.”
Nesbit believes that not having a spring break will affect many students’ mental health, including her own.
“Breaks are one of the few things we look forward to during the semester and not having one is a little disheartening,” Nesbit said. “I definitely think it’ll impact my mental health.Just doing straight school will be mentally draining and I’m not looking forward to it at all.”