How Long is Spring Break in College 2024? The last day of the students’ Spring Break is usually determined by the academic calendar of each university. Most universities have a specific date when classes start after the break, which is usually within a certain range.
When determining the length of the students’ Spring Break, religious holidays can also be taken into account, and some schools can even extend it beyond the normal days if necessary.
American students across the US celebrate the sunny days of Spring Break! From UNC to Central Connecticut State University, college and university students are always eagerly looking forward to spring break so that they can explore new destinations.
How Long is Spring Break in College
The simple answer is to say that spring break is a holiday that lasts a week. The holiday usually falls between the end of February and the beginning of April, but the aforementioned time frame may vary depending on the calendar of each college or university. This is because many universities and colleges observe national holidays such as Easter and Luther King Jr. Day.
Holidays can be a maximum of two weeks depending on the university and/or region.
The week-long university break is designed to make life easier for students before classes start. But in its current form, holidays are associated with a party culture where students go to the beach to dance and drink.
College students can also check their academic calendar to see how long spring break is at their college or university, as the length of spring break may vary at your college.
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When is spring break 2024?
As we have stated earlier, the dates and length of spring break 2024 may be different across schools, but most are in March or April. You can check the academic calendar of your college to know with specifics when the 2024 spring break is scheduled for you.
Spring Break dates for colleges and universities 2024
- Columbia University, NY: 18 – 25 March
- Cornell University, NY: 1 – 8 April
- University of Pennsylvania, PA: 4 – 11 March
- Yale University, CT: 11 – 18 March
- Harvard University, MA: 18 – 25 March
- Johns Hopkins University, MD: 11 – 18 March
- Dartmouth College, MA: 18 – 25 March
- Duke University, NC: 11 – 18 March
- Brown University, RI: 25 March – 1 April
- California Institute of Technology, CA: 25 March – 1 April
- University of California – Berkeley, CA: 25 March – 1 April
- University of Chicago, IL: 25 March – 1 April
- MIT, MA: 25 March – 1 April
- Northwestern University – Chicago, IL: 25 March – 1 April
- Princeton University, NJ: 18 – 25 March
- Stanford University, CA: 25 March – 1 April
The History of Spring Break: How It All Began
Despite its spread by American pop culture, if we go back far enough, we will get know that Spring Break started in ancient Greece. Yes, the pioneers of Western democracy and philosophy have been known to blow off steam with a three-day “awakening” during the springtime.
They dedicate the activities of the three-day holiday to Dionysus, the God of wine and fertility, and the experience was always one to remember.
But today’s week-long break began in the 1930s when Colgate’s swimming coach decided to take his team to Florida. The purpose of the trip was to get the students to train in sunny Fort Lauderdale’s new Olympic-sized swimming pool. Soon the idea caught on and swimming teachers around the country started doing the same thing.
Since you can’t spend the entire week swimming, the university athletes also started partying.
In the 1950s, a book was written with the name, “Were the boys Are” and it opened the gates to the popularity of Spring Break by popularizing the phenomenon and connecting it to today’s party culture.
Then, in the 80s and subsequent decades, references to pop culture took its popularity to a new level, making it a phenomenon all over the world.
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How is Spring Break Done in the United States?
Although spring break is an opportunity for all students to relax with their studies, most see it as an opportunity to party and travel. This is not abnormal as we have already stated that the trend dates back to ancient Greece.
Many students use spring break to get to know new places – they take their friends and/or families to new places with different cultures and adventures. For example, some students may decide to travel to Ann Arbor in Michigan and Chapel Hill in North Carolina – two of the most popular spring break destinations.
What should I do during Spring Break 2024?
Spring Break 2024 is coming sooner than you think, but that means if you want to travel, you need to start planning. Want to escape the cold? Book a trip to a warmer place where you can spend the day relaxing on the beach or by the pool.
Are you adventurous? Head to the mountains for a few days and enjoy spring skiing, and late winter activities or you can do snowboarding if you want to.
But it’s also good to be at home. Vacationing at home is perfect for catching up with family and friends, catching up on a new Netflix show, or exhausting your TBR list. Go to a museum, pick up a new hobby, treat yourself to a spa day, go on a trip or do extra work.
If you know your school schedule is particularly busy after the holidays, you can use this time to prepare and continue learning.
If the senior year is coming up, you can even plan a few field trips around the university and arrange to visit some of the campuses on your list in person.
When Spring Break Falls on Memorial Day
When many students think of spring break, they usually think of a relaxing trip to the beach or a fun weekend with friends and family. However, some schools’ spring holidays coincide with Memorial Day in the United States.
Memorial Days are of national importance and are dedicated to those who lost their lives while serving the United States. Many college students volunteer or participate in local events and ceremonies this time of year to honour and remember the fallen.
