The clouds and chilly wind have faded away, ushering in spring flowers and much-anticipated warmer weather. The smell of AP Exams and graduation looms in the distance, as Yorba Linda High School Mustangs return from spring break, a week of relaxation and recuperation—for most of them at least.
Despite some students gladly taking the extra time to sleep in every day last week, others took a different approach in spending their vacation time, instead choosing to explore other places around the country.
Typically, seniors tend to gravitate towards touring campuses of colleges they have been accepted to in an attempt to make a more informed decision on where to attend. Or, they see it as the perfect opportunity to go on senior trips together before they all go to different colleges.
Juniors habitually stay local to focus on their studies, especially in preparation for AP Exams that start at the beginning of May.
Conversely, underclassmen are more likely to go on more laborious (but equally rewarding) family vacations to farther places that can be of greater value to motivated tourists and busy adventurers with FOMO (fear of missing out).
Many students took a few days to fly to Hawaii or New York, but some other popular destinations were North and South Carolina, Georgia, and around California. The most frequented cities in California were San Diego and Sacramento.
One student even saw the week off as a great opportunity to explore Canada!
Jessica Li (12) flew to New York and Boston, “mostly to look at universities to see if I would like living over there.”
I flew to New York and Boston, mostly to look at universities to see if I would like living over there.
— Jessica Li (12)
Although her main purpose was to tour schools, she says that she “still got to have fun and do a bunch of tourist-y activities like see the Statue of Liberty, visit Times Square, eat lobster rolls, and go to a bunch of museums.”
Last year, she had been studying every day for AP Exams, and felt a “drastic change.”
She says that “instead of my mind being tired, I was physically tired from traveling so much in a short time period. Despite the tiredness, I definitely recommend everyone to try to visit as many colleges as they can because the feeling is much different in-person than online.”
Whether you embarked on a jet-set adventure, or chose to have a more laid-back “staycation,” The Wrangler hopes you had a great spring break!
