Penn State students will be able to go over the river and through the woods several days earlier this year, resulting in a positive response on campus to the schedule change as Thanksgiving break nears.
Instead of the traditional Wednesday through Friday break, Penn State is providing students with a weeklong holiday.
Melissa Ong (senior-bioengineering) said she will be taking an eight-hour bus ride to get back to her home in Massachusetts. In past years, the situation was "hectic," she said.
"I would only get two to three full days at home," Ong said. "It was almost not worth it."
Geoff Rushton, Penn State spokesman, said the change was made because it simply made more sense to have a full week off at Thanksgiving than a Monday and Friday off earlier in the semester.
"It's a difficult week for travel for anyone, and we know there are a lot of students who have to travel pretty far to get home for the holiday," he said.
Penn State is only one of three schools within the Big Ten to offer an extended holiday.
Students at the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois will also begin their breaks on Saturday.
Landon Roberts (senior-architectural engineering) said Penn State could start a trend.
"If we're one of only three, maybe the other eight should do it as well," he said.
Roberts said the extension is long overdue and reduces the chances of students skipping classes.
"I think that having a week is so much more logical," he said. "I think it's a very smart move by the university."
Skipping classes wasn't the major concern when the decision was made to extend the break, Rushton said.
"We expect that students would hopefully follow the schedule with their professors," he said.
Therese Jones (junior-astronomy) said she was pleased with the university's decision.
"I like having a week off, but I miss the day we had off for fall break," she said. "I think it's helpful to have a week off in the fall semester because it mirrors the spring semester."
Andrew Richart (senior-bioengineering) said he also supports the longer break.
"The whole week gives you an opportunity to spend time at home," he said. "Things work out better this way."
