How to Make the Most of Your Winter Break in a Pandemic

Your senior year likely didn’t turn out as expected. However, the college application deadlines stayed the same. You worked hard this semester and you deserve a break. Planning for your future at a time when the future feels precarious is scary—you are incredible for having done that. You submitted a quality application after giving it all you had. Now: don’t stress over it. Don’t spend every waking moment of your break thinking about your application. Instead, use your winter break to prepare yourself for your last—and, arguably, the best—semester of high school and enjoy the experience. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done and look to the person you will be in a few short months: a high school graduate! This is exciting. So, get ready to celebrate.

This winter break is the light at the end of the tunnel. It has been an exhausting semester. It’s hard to stay engaged over Zoom and remote learning is so different from in-person instruction. Hours spent in class online seem longer and more draining. After a whole semester, the Zoom fatigue is all too familiar. So, rest up over break—you have earned it. Get some sleep, eat some good food, and turn your brain off for a while.

Make use of the Wellness Exchange, our best mental health resource at NYU. Take time to call the 24-hour hotline or make a virtual appointment to connect with a counselor. Reach out to your mentor (your favorite professor, a teacher from high school, your mom!) and communicate the struggles you’ve had this semester. Brainstorm ways to address them in the spring. Maybe your interests or your long-term goals have changed (aren’t we all different people now?). All of this is understandable. There are people available to support you. And they’re just a call, text, or email away.