With the fall semester end looming, students use their Thanksgiving break as a calm before the storm of exam week to spend time with family and catch up on work.
As the crisp autumn air settles in, students nationwide look forward to a cherished tradition: Thanksgiving break.
Spanning about a week, this pause in the academic calendar serves as much-needed time off from the hustle and bustle of college life. For many, it’s an opportunity to pack their bags and head home to reconnect with family and friends over turkey dinners and heartfelt conversations.
Others choose to remain in their college towns, using the quiet to catch up on assignments and recharge. But whether spent traveling or staying put, Thanksgiving break offers students a chance to reflect, relax and prepare for the final stretch of the semester.
History sophomore Jaden Harris plans on traveling home during her time off to participate in family traditions. She enjoys going home during Thanksgiving mostly because it gives her the chance to see them after being away for so long.
“It’s fairly important to me just because I am about two hours away from home when I am at school,” Harris said. “It feels like I miss out on a lot of time with my family, especially when my nieces and nephews are there and I don’t get to see them because I am at school.”
Harris enjoys the ability to see her family, but one thing she isn’t fond of is busy traveling during the holidays. She also has to try to keep a balanced schedule between her family and her school workload to ensure the break doesn’t put her behind.
“I don’t love the travel during the holiday season because 131 gets pretty congested but it is kind of a necessary evil,” Harris said. “I head back north to spend time with my family during my time off. I spend the actual holiday with them and during the days leading up to it and after I reserve them for school work.
Mechanical engineering technology junior Aden Cummins is a resident advisor at one of the halls on campus and decided to stay for his break.
“My plans I chose to stay because others on the staff wanted to go home,” Cummins said. “Someone has to stay, and I didn’t plan on doing anything major for Thanksgiving this year.”
A tradition Cummins pleasantly remembers from Thanksgiving at home is gathering with his family to watch the Detroit Lions play football. He will still watch the game this year while working and trying to catch up with schoolwork.
“During the break, I look forward to getting ahead on my homework and final projects,” Cummins said. “I have a lot of work due before finals, so this will be a good time to get a lot of it finished.”
Similarly to Cummins, student-athletes take this break to hone their skills and continue practicing with their teams. With playoff season on the horizon, many of these athletes find staying in their routine helped them mentally and some have practices still scheduled.
Chemistry senior and student-athlete Toby MacPhee plans on spending his break preparing for the Bulldogs’ first game in the DII football playoffs.
“I am mainly planning on attending our morning team lift and practice on Thanksgiving,” MacPhee said. “I usually don’t get to spend it with my family because of my schedule, but the time away from class is appreciated.”
Although MacPhee doesn’t get the traditional Thanksgiving break, he’s always tried to make the most of his time off. One of MacPhee’s favorite memories from past Thanksgiving breaks with the team is practicing together in below-10-degree weather.
“It’s not like I am staying alone because the team is still here,” MacPhee said. “We usually have a team Thanksgiving dinner together and I live here with my brother too so I spend time with him.”
Thanksgiving break offers the Ferris community a much-needed chance to step back from the demands of college life and reconnect whether with family, friends or themselves. From family dinners and football games to quiet moments catching up on coursework, this break means something different to everyone.