When school is closed for break, most students get into a frenzy about going home, seeing family and friends, and getting far away from campus. But there are a select few who stay on campus or in the area. They stay for athletics, because they live too far to go home, or because they just want to.Over breaks, the campus is nearly empty and most buildings are locked. While it can be lonely, the students who do stick around find each other.
“I stayed on campus over Thanksgiving break and I had a great time with the few people left on campus,” said sophomore Mike McCaffrey from N.H. “My roommate lives around here so I went over to his place and had a nice thanksgiving dinner; it was my first one away from my family, but it wasn’t too bad.”
The cafeteria and The Underground are both closed during break, so the students who stick around are forced to find their own food off campus. Some students have used this as an opportunity to venture out into the greater Greensboro area and discover new restaurants.
“I generally don’t go home over small breaks like Thanksgiving,” said junior Noah McKonan from Durham, N.C. “Instead I pick somewhere that I haven’t tried to go eat and then I rate the restaurant in a little notebook that I have. It’s become my own personal tradition.”
Students who live off-campus have good reason to stay during breaks, as many of them are paying rent regardless. Some of them stay for winter break and celebrate the holidays with friends here in Greensboro.
“I feel like a have two families now,” said senior Greg Hampson, who grew up in Philadelphia, Pa. “I have met so many great people here in Greensboro that when I stay here over the holidays I feel like I am with family.”
International students on campus often decide to stay with close friends over holidays instead of flying home to another country. The result is generally stronger bonds between these friends as traditions are shared and an understanding is found.
“I cannot go home during breaks because it is too expensive and we don’t get enough time off for it to be worth it,” said junior Bojan Raic from Croatia. “Instead I have been staying with my best friend from school’s house. I enjoyed meeting his family and learning what holidays are like here in America.