After the beer, the sun block and - for some - the 8-hour shifts at jobs back home, readjusting to busy school schedules have left some students still in a daze, even after a week back in class.
Many are finding themselves either still exhausted from their expeditions, broke or in debt from hotel and dinner expenses and far behind on their mountains of schoolwork.
Sophomore David Orenstein, a business and psychology major, said he goes on break to get away from school, so even though he didn't do much partying over the weeklong vacation, Orenstein didn't do much schoolwork either.
"I did bring home books thinking I would do something with them," he said.
Unfortunately, like many of his peers, Orenstein's good intentions were not enough, and the books remained untouched.
"I lament any professor that gives me any work over spring break," said Matt Ulmann, a senior history major. "I think it's ridiculous."
Plenty of students like Ulmann believe professors who assign projects over break are setting their classes up for failure.
For those who went on road trips and partied all break long, the hangover seems like it may be lasting just as long as the break did. Some students partied just a little too hard.
"We spent St. Patrick's Day in New York City. We started out on the East Village doing car bombs," said Paul Kalish, a junior undecided major. Kalish partied so hard on the Irish holiday he needed to be reminded by his friend exactly how much he had to drink.
Students who went home were more likely to spend their time picking up hours at their jobs and making a few extra bucks to spend over the rest of the semester.
"I got some cash to enjoy the finer things in life," said Tyler Wolcott, a sophomore undecided major.
He decided to go home over break and work instead of spending a lot of money that he didn't have on a vacation. Despite being away from major spring break action, Wolcott returned to Buffalo with a lot of backed up work.
Elizabeth Hamm, a junior sociology major, also found herself facing an intimidating amount of schoolwork when she returned to school. Hamm spent most of her break in Buffalo waiting tables and going out at night and said she wished she had focused more on her upcoming tests.
"I did nothing; worked a little, went home for a few days," she said. "I went out a lot mostly because I didn't have to go to class or have anything else to worry about."
Hamm paid for her week of relaxation when she finally returned to reality.
"I wish I had studied more because I had a big chemistry test the week we came back," she said. "I was planning on studying but I didn't and then I was screwed."
Hamm said she was forced to spend two sleepless nights preparing for her chemistry midterm, something she wouldn't have had to do if she hadn't slacked off so much.
Like Hamm and Ulmann, many other students returned from spring break to find they had labs due on Tuesday or to be reminded they had a midterm on Monday.
While spring break serves as a time for college students to slack off and be free from their typical responsibilities, no matter what people did on this vacation, many are thinking more now about what they didn't do over break.
"Spring break is a great time away, but when (you) come back to reality it can definitely be a slap in the face," Hamm said.
Rachele Trippe, a junior undecided major, went on a cruise to the Bahamas for spring break and said that coming back to school after a prolonged break is always hard, especially at this time of year when many students are preparing to graduate.
"It's a bad shock because it's getting down to the end of the semester," Trippe said. "Most of my friends are graduating and I'm watching the stress that they are going through to get everything done on time. It's really hard to see them go through this."
Trippe said that she wishes she could go back on break.
"I just want to go back to the Bahamas because I didn't have a care in the world there," she said. "Being back in Buffalo just reminds me of the real world and what needs to get done. I'm not a big fan."
