Every week the editorial board reflects on a current issue in Our View. The position taken does not reflect the opinions of everyone on the Hilltop Views staff. This week the editorial board are Viewpoints editor Eleanor Fishbourne and Print Editor-in-Chief Jacob Sanchez.

Spring break is coming.

With it means no homework — or just avoiding it — free time, more sleep and fun. The Hilltop Views editorial wants to remind students of mistakes to avoid making during spring break.

Be smart

Everyone knows what happens during spring break: playful experimentation with alcohol and drugs. While we do not condone this, students should go into spring break anticipating that they will likely face tough decisions.

The best advice is if you are going to drink, be smart about it, and as for drugs, just don’t do it.

The most important thing to think about if you’re going to drink alcohol or use some sort of drugs are the consequences of getting caught. There are legal, personal, financial and even, academic ramifications.

Get caught using drugs or drinking while underage, you better brace for the consequences.

Ask yourself this: Is it worth it to get drunk or high and potentially get caught?

Spend wisely

Whether you’re staying here in Austin or going somewhere else, remember to spend your money wisely, or else face being penniless until the next payday.

Set up some sort of a budget before you go and you’ll most likely survive.

Wear sunscreen

The biggest mishap for overexcited spring-breakers is the absence of sun protection.

Even if you want to get that nice golden brown sun kissed look, going completely sunscreen free is just dangerous.

Make sure to get that stuff all over you before spending a blissful day by the sun, or it will go from blissful to blistered really quickly.

Remember — just like mom told you — get it everywhere. Even behind your ears and on the tops of your feet. Even on the bottoms of your feet.

If you have ever had you feet burned you’ll know that even lathering them up with aloe vera can’t save you from that mistake. So be realistic and lather up.

Don’t procrastinate

Although everyone is surely excited for a week off of school, it doesn’t mean your professors have decided to give you a break.

All throughout the week the weight of your assignments will be nagging at the back of your subconscious like an ever-present itch.

The best plan is to knock out those papers and worksheets before or during the first few days of the break so that you can let loose for the remaining days.

Nothing ruins sunbathing on the beach like a four page paper waiting to be written.

With homework on spring break students should pick the lesser of two evils: either dedicate a day to it early on or wait until the Sunday before school starts and have a series of panic attacks.

At least this year if you forget about homework during spring break, we have Easter break to save us.