Winter break highlights the midpoint of the school year for West Ranch students. During the first semester, students power through rigorous exams while seniors struggle with college applications, slowly making it to the break when all their efforts can come to a pause. However, after the three-week break is over, many students have mixed feelings about returning to school. Wildcats across grade levels shared their perspectives on regaining their academic momentum and how to make the transition back smoother.
For West Ranch senior Somesh Sriprasanna, returning to campus for the second semester has “actually been more chill.” Sriprasanna elaborated, “Last semester was pretty hard because I had to juggle college applications with schoolwork and extracurriculars, but now that college applications are over, I can just focus on what I love and make sure I don’t let my grades tip at the last second.”
Sriprasanna emphasized the importance of a split balance between productivity and rest in making the return to academics a much smaller ordeal. While the first part of his break was almost fully dedicated to notorious college applications, in the second half, he allowed himself to wind down and spend some quality time with his family. However, instead of falling into stagnant habits during that rest period, Sriprasanna stayed active in his usual productivity by engaging in his pastime hobby: practicing Indian cultural music with friends and family. He highlighted how that small activity helped him stay out of stagnant tendencies and remain focused: “If I scroll for more than an hour, my brain gets fried,” Sriprasanna emphasized. “Music keeps me active.”
Another senior at West Ranch, Mindy Hong, was able to maintain a steady rhythm over winter break. Similar to Sripasanna, Hong also spent much of her time at home finishing up college applications. “I think the time I spent being productive versus unproductive was pretty equal,” she noted. Regarding her thoughts of returning for the second semester, Hong uniquely commented on her unusual excitement: “It’s my last and most fun semester, and I wanted to see my friends before college.”
Though she didn’t particularly struggle academically after returning, Hong explained that she did have to retune her sleep schedule after falling into the relatable habit of waking up around noon every day for three weeks. Still, she said that the adjustment was bearable. “I was good within the first two days, after I’ve gone to all my classes once.” However, Hong shared that when stress does arise for her, she prefers to make the work more bearable by doing it with friends or clearing her head by efficiently spacing out tasks throughout the day to keep the overwhelm under control.
Sophomore Madison Paek had a different experience during the whole break and transition compared to Sriprasanna and Hong. While she did spend much of the first week of break resting, Paek also dedicated her vacation time to studying for her AP Psychology course and working on summer programs and award applications.
Even throughout her productive break, Paek still emphasized the importance of balanced rest. “That first week was probably the least productive I’ve ever been, but I think that’s important to prevent burnout. Just don’t get too comfortable because that can lead to procrastination” Paek emphasized. To avoid losing her momentum, she relied on disciplined planning by utilizing digital tools available to her, like Notion and Google Calendar, to map out assignments and tests months in advance to avoid cramming.
As we regain our momentum as the second semester continues, all students at West Ranch continue to push through their hard work into the final half of the school year. Make sure to persevere and cheer on your fellow students, Cats!
