How Students Can Use Winter Break to Reset for the Spring Semester
I remember coming home from my first college semester full-blown sick. As soon as my body realized I had finished finals and it was “safe” to feel crummy, I was down for the count. Many years later, I came home for the holidays and found my college-going nieces and nephews sick and in need of rest.
Winter break offers students a valuable pause in the academic year. After the intensity of finals and the emotional weight of the semester, the break becomes an essential time to rest, reflect, and regroup. Students often arrive home exhausted, proud of what they achieved, and aware of where they struggled. This pause gives them the chance to reset and build a mindset that positions them for a strong start in January.
Here are a few ways students can use winter break with intention.
Rest is the first priority
Many students have pushed their limits emotionally and academically. Sharing space with a roommate (and his frequently visiting girlfriend) can be challenging. Encourage your college student to sleep, eat well, and reconnect with routines and people who ground them. Rest is not avoidance. It is a necessary reset and prerequisite for resilience.
Reflect on the semester with honesty and curiosity
Reflection works best when it is gentle and specific. Students can ask themselves:
What worked?
What was harder than expected?
What surprised me?
What support did I wish I had used earlier?
Research on the first-year transition shows that reflection, early planning, and supportive relationships strengthen academic confidence and persistence.
Reconnect with supports
Life at college can feel like a rush. Winter break brings time to talk with family, mentors, or trusted adults. These conversations help students process their experiences and prepare for the next steps. Check out the conversation starters I posted earlier this month if you need ideas for talking with your college student.
Set simple habits for the spring
Small habits often lead to big momentum. Below are two recommendations for starting the semester strong and two habits that can make a lasting impact.
Students might choose to:
Review each course syllabus before classes begin. The syllabus outlines the course objectives and learning outcomes. It also often lists the assignments and their due dates, which can be written in a calendar now.
Attend their professors’ office hours once in the first three weeks. If the course section is large, dropping by the professor’s office helps them to connect a student’s name with a face and a memory–”Oh, that’s the nice student from Rhode Island who came by to say hello.”
Create a weekly time block schedule. Thinking through what needs to be done for each class that week and then writing down when to do it is a gamechanger. Fancy planners are not required. For example, I use the calendar function in Outlook and there is nothing fancy about it. If something that tracks progress on tasks or projects is desired, check out Planner in the Microsoft 365 Office suite.
Reserve a study room with a friend. I took the same statistics class three times. It was the third time, when I studied with a group every week, that the concepts finally made sense. The regularity of showing up for study group made a difference as did explaining a difficult idea to a friend in my own words.
Look ahead with optimism
Winter break is a chance to give your body time to recover from the demands of the fall semester. It is also time to reset academically and emotionally. Students who enter January rested and clear about their goals often feel more confident and prepared. Resetting does not require perfect planning. It only requires attention, honesty, and the willingness to grow.
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