This is probably the most controversial piece that I have ever written, but here it goes: I am somewhat in favor of keeping the accelerated schedule we faced the previous semester. Now before people leave some nasty comments, I did have problems with how the schedule was implemented in the fall.

Yes, having no breaks in the semester made me exhausted. Yes, some of my courses felt rushed, especially during the transition to an online environment. Yes, I was stressed, depressed and messed up after all of it was done.

However, I like the idea of starting the semester early and ending before Thanksgiving break. I like the idea of an accelerated semester, but there needs to be many changes for it to work. For the sake of the argument, we will assume NC State will operate on a normal semester schedule, with almost all classes being held in person. 

The obvious idea is to have breaks littered throughout the semester. Technician reported that many students suffered from mental health issues last semester, some of which are attributed to no breaks. By having certain days off like Labor Day or a fall break, it will allow students to relax and can help address their mental health problems. Plus, if the semester is started in early August, it would be easier to accommodate these breaks.

In addition, it makes sense to have the semester end before Thanksgiving. For the past two years, during Thanksgiving break, all I could think about was the assignments, projects and final exams coming up in the next week. Sure, I still spent time with my family and friends, but I would still be working on assignments and studying for future exams.

Plus, I thought it was weird that we suddenly had a break followed by a week of classes then exams. Having exams completed before a long vacation can help students study better on their exams and not having to worry about any familial obligations. I am pretty sure many students feel the same way as well.

Finally, we get a long winter break. Instead of having a month away from school, the accelerated schedule gives us almost twice the amount. This is important because it allows students to relax from a potentially stressful semester. Plus, the longer break could help students focus on extracurricular activities such as looking for internships or applying to graduate school.

As stated previously, this was a stressful semester. However, even under normal circumstances, we don’t know how many students are facing some sort of mental health issues. In fact, an increasing number of college students are facing mental health challenges. A longer break allows for students to address these issues and get the help they need.

There are some problems with implementing an accelerated schedule. For one, some summer internships could coincide with the beginning of the school semester. While this could be a problem for some people, there are internships that last around 10 weeks. Since school usually ends in late April or early May, this shouldn’t be a problem for many students in a summer internship.

I hope that NC State considers having a modified accelerated schedule in the future. Although the idea seems unpopular now, if implemented right, it could help students succeed in their future academic endeavors.