Spring break is often represented to be an eventful and memorable week full of nonstop fun, exciting adventures and crazy parties. As a result of these descriptions, many Bruins expressed the pressure to fill their spring break with elaborate plans similar to the ones seen in movies or social media.

Senior Zachary Mechlin believes that spring break parties are often glamorized and favored, when in reality they do not hold as much value. He explains that having large friend groups and attending lively parties creates an unrealistic standard for how reality should be.

“You might know a lot of people and be able to do a lot of things in that time, but being overly popular might not be meaningful,” Mechlin said. “A lot of the party culture that you might see in the media doesn’t really have meaning behind it. It’s just kind of excess.”

Along with social settings, social media platforms, such as Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok, also have a tendency to encourage glamorized breaks. Freshman Kiran Siva mentioned that he often witnesses people posting their fun activities online while on spring break.

“Sometimes if people are having fun, you kind of feel obligated to post about it so you can be either noticed, or feel like you fit in,” Siva said.

Similarly, junior Miranda Gutierrez spent her past spring break in Santa Barbara looking at colleges. While she was glad to be with her family looking at possible colleges, she still felt as though she were missing out on an exciting break.

“I couldn’t be with my friends, but I would see them posting and be like, ‘I wish I was there right now,’” Gutierrez said. “Obviously, I was glad to be in Santa Barbara, but there was the fear of missing out and wanting to be there.”

Similar to Gutierrez, social media’s expectations of spring break influenced Mechlin to join in on the activities.

“I saw a lot of people going to the beach, and people were doing beach trips, so I was like, ‘Y’know what? We’re going.’ I went to Santa Cruz,” Mechlin said. “It was a fun trip, but there were definitely situations where it felt a little forced.”

Despite the media’s perception of spring break, the reality is often very different due to individuals’ realistic plans for their own free time. Many Bruins believe that spring break should solely be dedicated to the activities one personally enjoys.

“There definitely is a pressure to be active and be doing things because people don’t want to be that socially awkward outsider,” Mechlin said. “I would say as long as you’re enjoying your break in the way you want to enjoy it, it’s realistic enough.”