Go Ahead, Take a Vacation

In the fall term the Harvard Republican Club took a trip to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C. At the conference HRC members met students from around the country, listened to speakers from a multitude of backgrounds, and were able to visit the nation’s capital. The CPAC trip gave a welcome breather from academics, helped to supplement the various government classes being offered at Harvard that many HRC members take, and allowed the HRC members to become better friends.

Taking such a break from campus life is highly unusual for today’s Harvard undergraduate, and this is a shame. In the past, the Harvard experience was mainly academic, leaving time for family visits and weekends off. However, today the experience is much more encompassing, and the 24/7 pressure inevitably affects student mental health. To remedy this, students should consider taking short, term-time vacations whenever possible. They are more feasible than many students realize, and the university calendar system provides ample time to recover from them.

Today, the College experience has become an extension of the constant ladder climbing that preceded admission. In pursuit of desirable post-graduation plans, students drive themselves relentlessly in multiple spheres—academic, extracurricular, and social. Although the College provides mental health services, and should of course continue to do so, these resources are not always enough.

Instead, at times when Harvard becomes overwhelming, students should take a short vacation. Harvard truly values travel, as can be clearly seen by the plethora of grants available to undergraduates. However, travel should not be limited to eight weeks over the summer or two weeks over J-Term. Instead, off-campus trips should be seen as a respite from daily life that is beneficial at any time.

Students may think that this time away from classes is academically deleterious, but this is a misconception. The university schedule makes it possible for the trips to be practical. Reading period allows students ample time to catch up on any reading they may have missed. It is a matter of using the time one has productively.

With better time management, students can surely carve out a weekend during a term to attend a conference that supplements their academic endeavors; visit a friend’s family, promoting student camaraderie; or simply take a trip. Teaching fellows and professors do not need to make exceptions for the academic responsibilities of students leaving for travel experiences because students are able to plan ahead, thanks to syllabi handed out at the beginning of the semester, well in advance of any due dates. Provided that teaching fellows and professors consistently follow the syllabi they provide, students are able to plan ahead responsibly. In any of these cases, planning ahead could make up the weekend of lost time for academics.

And as to whether it’s a good idea to encourage students to play hooky—yes, academics are the foremost priority at the College and students should dutifully attend to their studies as much as possible. But for the most part, students treat their work seriously and manage to turn in their work in a timely manner. In this context, a trip is an excellent formative experience that should not be discouraged, but rather promoted.

While the bygone era of Harvard as a country club cannot, and in some cases, should not come back in its entirety, the ability for students to take vacations during a term should be preserved. Harvardians are quite capable of planning their academic duties out for the future to make time for a vacation. After all, it was planning out one’s future that landed each Harvard man and woman at the College in the first place.

Anthony J. Bonilla ’12, a Crimson editorial writer, is a government concentrator in Winthrop House.