As March 17 rolls around, K-State students will go on a week long break from classes to do what they please. While it’s still several weeks away, some K-State students are excited by the prospect of leaving Manhattan for a week to enjoy the sights and weather of places around the U.S.
“Spring break is a chance to get away from school,” Haley White, junior in animal science and industry, said. “It’s nice not to have to worry about school, assignments or homework for a week. School has been a grind so far, so even having that one week off is amazing.”
White said she was excited to visit Las Vegas with her parents.
“We got a really good deal on the hotel and airfare,” White said. “Also, I’m finally 21, so I get to experience it completely.”
White said she was most looking forward to the shows and the nightlife of Las Vegas, something that she has wanted to do for a while.
While some students opted to spend spring break with their parents, others are spending it with their siblings. Carina Metzgar, freshman in athletic training, said she was excited about the chance to see her sister over spring break in Illinois.
“I’m going to the University of Illinois campus in Champaign-Urbana where my sister is a graduate student,” Metzgar said. “We wanted to spend break with each other, but they didn’t match up so I’m going to go see her.”
Since Metzgar and her sister attend different universities in different states, they rarely see each other since Metzgar started college.
“I don’t get to see my sister that often,” Metzgar said. “We both live on opposite sides of home, so it’s a good time to meet and catch up on what we’ve been doing.”
Not everyone at K-State will be spending time with their families during this break. There are many who are planning trips with their friends.
Jenny Schmidt, senior in communication science and disorders, said she is looking forward to going on a road trip to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina with a friend.
“I’m looking forward to just relaxing and spending time on the beach,” Schmidt said. “I’ve never been there. I wanted to do a road trip and I wanted to go to a beach so this way I get to do everything in a week.”
Many K-State students, like Schmidt, said they are looking forward to escaping the cold and going to warmer places in the country.
“It’s been a long and cold year so far,” Sydney Pugh, junior in public relations, said. “It’s a perfect time to have a week off and get outside of Kansas and go somewhere warmer and have fun with your friends.”
Pugh said that although she went to Gulf Shores, Ala. last year, she is excited to go back with her friends this year.
“We had a blast last year,” Pugh said. “We heard people were going back there this year and thought it would be a great idea, especially after dealing with the cold for so long.”
Though many students are fed up of the cold, others said they are looking to enjoy more of the cold weather during spring break.
“I’m from Colorado, and I love snowboarding,” Tyler Hilgenkamp, sophomore in psychology, said. “Snowing in Colorado is very different from snowing in Manhattan; there’s not much you can do here. Colorado has the mountains, so I always look for a chance to go up there. For me, spring break is convenient.”
For many seniors, this spring break will be one of the last times they will be able to experience college life with their friends before graduating.
“It’s one of those really generic college experiences that would be fun to have,” Frederick Amstutz, senior in public relations and English, said. “It would be one of those experiences that I think would be fun to look back one day when I’m old and sitting behind a desk.”
Amstutz said he plans to travel to Panama City Beach, Fla. with his Delta Chi fraternity brothers and enjoy his last college trip before graduating in May.
“I made many of these friends when I was a freshman in college,” Amstutz said. “This will be a great time to have a final senior semester blowout.”
