For students, this is often one of the best, yet strangest times of the year. For students who live on campus, there are two options:
Spend Fall Break at Home
Spend Fall Break on Campus
There are many reasons why students choose to stay on campus, but there are reasons why they also choose to return home or seek out other plans. Fall break falls on the same week as Thanksgiving. A large number of students return home for the break to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families.
At this point in the semester, some students may have visited home often and other not at all. This is often one of the hardest changes in the college transition. When students return home for the first time for a long period, things often feel out of balance. Something is a little off. The student has changed, and often home has changed as well. This can cause tension, anxiety, and difficulty when interacting with families during this first break.
It’s important to remember that this is normal. Likewise, it is often helpful to go in expecting this to eb the case. This is also a conversation that you may want to have with you parents, siblings, old friends, and so on. In this semester, you have grown and changed, and so have they. By prefacing this before returning home, it can often help release that tension.
This will also give you the chance the look forward dot sharing these new things and learning about the new things at home. Winter break is often an easier transition, as it longer and barriers have been broken at Fall Break.
Remember, change is normal, for you and your home. But preparing for it can help make it easier.
