Spring Break Forever

Written by Lily Brown

I really hate to say it (and especially hate having it in writing), but spring semester has always been my hardest semester. Which is ironic, because spring is supposed to be the fun one.

Instead, spring always hits me like that one Boston day where it’s 65 degrees and sunny at noon and then actively snowing by 5 p.m.

It’s like what they say about March: “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” But man, this year has been rough. Adjusting to my schedule took way longer than expected. Between classes, RA responsibilities, and the slow-burn panic of graduating soon, things have been…a lot.

And speaking of graduating, yes, I’ve been applying to jobs left and right. Sending applications into the digital void. Tailoring resumes. Writing cover letters. (On that note, please hire me. I swear I’m really cool and a great writer!).

But no “woe is me” moment here. I’m powering through. My GPA is still a 4.0. I have As in all my courses. And of course I’m still absolutely crushing it as an RA. Your girl is thriving on paper. But spiritually? Your girl needed a break. Like, Breaking Bad levels of needing a break. Not in a “start a desert meth empire” way, but definitely in a “I need to leave the state for a few days” way.

By the time you’re reading this, spring break will already be joever. Finished. Gone. A distant memory. But before that happened, I had two very different spring break experiences happening back-to-back. First, doing room checks as an RA. Second, heading to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas (thanks, Emerson!).

But before I could even think about breakfast tacos, indie bands, or pretending networking events are not just giant house parties where everyone happens to be wearing name tags, I had to complete the most sacred duty of any Resident Assistant: room checks.

And let me tell you, nothing humbles you quite like walking through a residence hall the day before spring break. So, from the perspective of your friendly neighborhood RA who just finished room checks and is also spiritually halfway to Texas, here’s my official guide to Emerson Spring Break.

The Pre-Break Delusion Phase

There’s a very specific moment every semester when Emerson students collectively decide they’re basically done. Unfortunately, that moment usually arrives about a solid week and a half before spring break.

Here’s the thing about going to school in Boston: winter overstays its welcome. By the time March rolls around, Emerson students have survived the Boylston wind tunnels, layering approximately twelve different articles of clothing, and at least one moment where your hands froze while holding an iced coffee. So when spring break gets close, everyone wants out.

Some people go somewhere warm. Some people go home and sleep for 72 hours straight. Some people stay in Boston and rediscover the city when it’s slightly less cold and slightly more alive.

And then there are the lucky ones who get to travel somewhere cool. Like, hypothetically speaking, going to SXSW. Which, not to brag, but I will absolutely be doing.

Technically, classes are still happening. Assignments still exist. Canvas notifications are still aggressively pinging your phone. But mentally? Everyone has already left.

You see it everywhere. The library is packed, but half the laptops are open to airline tabs or Airbnb listings. Someone’s editing a short film while simultaneously snapping their friend about what outfits to bring to Miami. Someone else is writing a paper while Googling “best BBQ Austin.” Oh wait. That one might just be me.

Suddenly every conversation sounds like, “Wait, are you leaving Thursday night or Friday morning?” followed immediately by, “Wait, did you finish that midterm?”

Even the professors can feel it. There’s always one who tries to keep the academic momentum going, and the entire room collectively stares back like they’ve just been asked to solve the AI crisis. Or, in my case, keep the online discussion posts going.

It’s basically the campus version of that moment in Spring Breakers where they whisper “spring break forever”. Except instead of beach parties, it’s Emerson students staring into the middle distance of the 2B alleyway saying something kind of similar.

Spring Break Packing

I’ve seen a lot as an RA. Fire alarms at 8:30 a.m. Someone trying to microwave a frozen cookie (still thinking about you, king). But nothing compares to spring break packing.

Emerson students pack like they’re starring in three different movies simultaneously:

First, there’s The Fashion Editorial Energy. Someone is packing seven outfits for a three-day trip because you never know what the vibe will be. Suddenly the suitcase contains boots, heels, sneakers, a going-out top, a backup going-out top, and at least one outfit that exists solely for a group photo.
Then there’s The Creative Professional Mode. Film students packing cameras. Journalism majors bringing notebooks. Someone absolutely convinced they’re about to capture a story while traveling, as if spring break is secretly a documentary waiting to happen.
And finally, my personal favorite, The Delusional Productivity Phase. This is when someone says, with a completely straight face, “I’m going to get so much work done over break.” Sure. Absolutely. You will definitely finish editing your short film, outline your thesis, respond to emails, read three chapters, reorganize your Google Drive, and also relax.

But what actually happens is this:

Day 1: Travel day. TSA confiscates someone’s full-size shampoo. Everyone posts an IG story from the airport gate.
Day 2: Sleep. Not a nap. A full, phone-on-Do-Not-Disturb, “I woke up and the sun is setting” situation.
Day 3: Brunch. A $17 iced latte is purchased. Someone says, “We should do this every day,” knowing full well we will not.
Day 4: The productivity attempt. Laptop opens. Google Doc stares back. One sentence is written. The sentence is immediately deleted. “Wait, what day is it?”
Day 5: “Wait, what day is it?” followed by a sudden realization that there was, in fact, homework.

Day 6: Mild panic. Canvas is opened. Emails are drafted with the phrase “Hope you’re doing well!” doing a lot of heavy lifting.

It’s a tale as old as time.

Room Checks

Now let’s talk about the less glamorous side of spring break: room checks. For those unfamiliar (though, you all should know about it at this point because that would be super embarrassing for you), room checks are when RAs walk through every dorm room before break to make sure nothing questionable is happening. And by “questionable,” I mean:

Windows closed
Trash trashed
No prohibited items
Nothing that will somehow become a problem while everyone’s gone
Making sure you leave (and if you are approved for break stay…)

In theory, it’s simple enough. In practice, it’s a 48-room speedrun through the building while carrying a laptop opened to the spring break closing ERezLife form and the quiet fear of discovering something that will ruin everyone’s day.

The real kicker? Timing. Room checks land right before break, which means while everyone else is already mentally on a beach somewhere, I’m still doing laps around the residence hall. I could’ve gone home a full week earlier. But no. Duty call.

Also, this happens on Saturday. And somehow, despite the five emails, hallway posters, elevator posters, and the mandatory pre-departure meeting, people are still surprised we’re coming by.

Every year it’s the same:

Monday: “Wait, when are room checks?” (It was the subject line of the email.)
Wednesday: “Do we have to clean?” (Define clean. But also… yes.)
Friday night: the frantic hallway conversations about hiding things that were never supposed to be there in the first place. (Oh, I hear you. I’m pretending to be on my headphones for the both of us.)
Saturday morning: the classic “Oh my god I forgot you were coming” as someone speed-runs putting their room back together while I politely stare at the doorframe like a TSA agent giving you a moment to rethink your life choices.

And I have 48 rooms to check. Almost 100 residents. By room #22 I’m essentially operating on muscle memory and vibes.

But once the last room is checked and the last door closes, something weird happens in the building: it goes completely quiet. The halls that were loud all week suddenly echo. Elevators stop running every two seconds. The lounge that usually has movie marathons until 2 a.m. is empty. That’s when it really hits that spring break has officially started.

That’s the moment I metaphorically break free from the RA chains. The clipboard drops. The ERezLife form closes. Somewhere in the distance a plane to Austin begins boarding and I hear the faint spiritual echo of “you are free now.”

Spring break always sneaks up on us. One minute you’re drowning in assignments, the next minute everyone is leaving campus with a duffel bag and a dream. And then suddenly it’s over. You come back to Boston. The air is slightly warmer. The sun sets a little later, and the semester feels survivable again. Which is good, because the second half of spring semester is basically a race to the finish line. Final projects. Thesis deadlines. But that’s a problem for Future Us. (I’m personally refusing to let senioritis fully win.)

Right now, break was exactly what everyone needed: a reset button. A week where Emerson students scattered across the country, and the world, to recharge, sleep, explore, and pretend Canvas doesn’t exist for a few days.

So, if you’re reading this after break, welcome back. Hydrate. Check your syllabus. And emotionally prepare for the part of the semester where everything happens at once. But hey, if we can survive midterms, Nor’easters, and pre-break room checks, we can survive anything.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be experiencing my possibly-last-ever spring break in Texas before returning to Boston to once again email people about room checks. Because spring break might not be forever, but my RA duties absolutely are.