Between stress-filled deadlines and what seems to be never-ending work, a pause from college preparations and other schoolwork is well anticipated. The upcoming spring break excites the student body with traveling plans, refreshing unwinding time and college visits.

Although the lowerclassmen will use the break for leisure time and travel, the upperclassmen are haunted by the ‘hustle’ culture of maximizing work time. Based on a poll conducted by the Pitch, it is clearly shown that freshmen and sophomores have a higher rate of leisure or simply ‘relaxing’ during the break, showing the younger students lack the pressure that ‘grind culture’ perpetuates.

According to the survey, travel plans include escaping to warmer climates and beaches, such as the Carolinas (Hilton Head Island, Myrtle Beach, Outer Banks) and Florida. When asked, students said they would spend time with friends and families, enjoying the good weather outside and playing sports and video games.

Both Easter and Passover will occur during the break, so many students will use the time to visit family and prepare for the religious celebrations that follow the holidays.

“I’m not that religious, but it’s really nice to have this time to be with my family and eat good chocolate,” sophomore Denisse Getlin said.

Besides the leisure activities and cultural experiences that many freshmen and sophomores plan on, countless upper-classmen plan on filling their time with work and post-high school preparations. In addition to college visits, the SAT/ACT testing in May stresses Juniors who plan on studying for the tests while still maintaining their GPA.

“My textbooks will be keeping me company, but I will try to balance the work. Just reviewing for 15 minutes each day makes a difference rather than cramming everything in a night, ” junior Sophia Balen said.

‘Grind culture’ targets the workforce with the idea that the status and value of a person depends on the workload they take. The student body is not excluded from this mindset, with many harming their own mental health by taking an overload of work and placing their self-worth on ‘productivity’.

“I think the key is to balance the time dedicated for each aspect while also considering that spending time just simply enjoying the break can be productive as well,” junior Livia Thomazi said.