SPRING BREAK FOMO? NOT FOR THESE FRESHMEN
How The Class of 2025 Spent Spring Break on Campus
By Katrina Scalise
Come March, college students look forward to recovering from midterm stress with warm, relaxing vacations. However, for many spring breakers (including international students), a nice trip isn’t necessarily attainable or convenient.
Despite the expectation to travel, many BU students spent their break on campus from Mar. 5th to Mar. 13th. A few freshmen commented on their experience staying on campus, including Joshua Rosenthal (COM ‘25).
“I got to explore the city a lot,” said Rosenthal.“I had a friend show me around the Boston Common area. I watched a lot of movies and got some reading in.”
Rosenthal, who’s from Pennsylvania, said staying on campus was more convenient than taking the five-hour train ride home. The break gave him a chance to relax, as it does for many.
“I really wanted to decompress in Boston, rather than go home and take some of my anxiety from classes back with me,” he said.
For him, the emptiness of campus added to the spring break experience.
“I was okay with it just being a chill and laid back break,” said Rosenthal. “It was cool being able to experience BU, both with people and without people, because now I have my own personal connection to it.”
Eugene Viti (COM ‘25) agreed that seeing campus filled with people after the break is a sight to appreciate.
“It definitely seemed calmer, but also lifeless. The student population is what makes BU feel like a campus, especially because it’s in an urban setting.”
Viti recently tested positive for COVID-19, and stayed on campus in order to minimize the spread. He said he filled the time with walks to different neighborhoods, cafe runs, and by working out in an uncharacteristically empty FitRec.
FOMO, or, the fear of missing out, is a common problem among college students. The psychological phenomena is often exacerbated by social media posts capturing fun times and social gatherings. FOMO is associated with negative life experiences and feelings for many, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Viti said he didn’t experience the phenomenon, and instead reasoned that spending time on campus is a valid alternative to taking a trip.
“I realized that I didn’t want to go anywhere with people I met so recently because it could ruin friendships, or planning things just seemed unpredictable,” he said.
However, Elpida Voulgaridou (CAS ‘25) did experience FOMO.
“Everyone leaves campus during the break so it’s really easy to feel left out,” said Voulgaridou. “[I experienced] maybe a bit of FOMO, because I wanted to be on the beach.”
Voulgaridou is an international student from Athens, Greece. She said it was too expensive to go back for the week, and instead spent her break on campus, and visiting friends at Northeastern University.
Many international students are faced with the choice of whether or not to travel far distances and cross borders to go home for a week, which can not only be expensive but inconvenient as well.
Voulgaridou noted the unfavorable hours that come with spending the break on campus.
“The dining hall times were super weird, and all the campus restaurants and the gym [hours] too,” she said. “Everything closed so early. I kept having to order food, because I never made it to the dining hall on time.”
Maria Isaza (COM ‘25) enjoyed the change.
“Campus was definitely more empty, but at the same time, it was kind of nice to have a break from how hectic it usually is,” said Isaza.
Isaza stayed at BU over spring break because the price of plane tickets back to her home in Texas were too expensive. She also wanted to enjoy campus without the stress of classes.
“[During break], I walked around the Commons one day, explored the area, and went shopping,” she said. “I also impulsively took a bus to New York City for a day, and finally got the chance to take the T to Dorchester and see my grandma.”
In spite of FOMO, BU’s freshmen made the most of their spring breaks on campus.