Weinberg sophomore Ben Saperstein began experiencing pneumonia symptoms at the airport the day before Winter Quarter 2025 started.
He became sick that first week of class. As January went on, he missed exams and fell behind on coursework. He was even hospitalized.
Though he started getting better as the month ended, Saperstein decided to go home to Detroit to fully recover. He took a medical leave of absence to finish the quarter and returned in the spring.
“It allowed me to relax and not worry too much, which was probably best for recovery,” Saperstein said. “If I had come back, I would be stressed out and walking around. At the time I wasn’t supposed to be outside in the cold air, so that would have aggravated my illness and all that stress of trying to catch up.”
Through Northwestern’s Medical Leave of Absence process, students can take a break from academic work and focus on their mental or physical health by seeking care, getting jobs and picking up hobbies.
Nicole Eggleston-Watkins, the associate dean of students and director of Student Assistance and Support Services, wrote in a March 3 statement to The Daily that during medical leaves, which usually last two quarters, students are unable to earn credit and typically must leave campus.
“Students submit a request through the Dean of Students Office and provide documentation from their treating provider to Northwestern Medicine Student Health Service,” Eggleston-Watkins wrote. “Once clinical information is reviewed, Student Assistance and Support Services meets with the student to discuss the request and next steps.”
Once Saperstein returned home, he drove his siblings to and from school, ran errands and played tennis per his doctor’s orders to exercise.
Although that meant missing out on some academic opportunities — including a Kellogg School of Management program some of his friends are in — Saperstein said he still has enough credits to graduate on time.
“It benefited me,” he said. “I didn’t have to fail all my classes.”
Saperstein also remained connected with friends during his absence. He visited campus three times that quarter.
“I was still trying to do my best to keep in touch with the people who were still there,” he said. “And that’s important because otherwise, I would’ve been isolated from these people that I met in Fall Quarter for three-months-plus and broken all the momentum from the friendships that I made.”
To address her mental health, Communication junior Stacey Pierre applied for and was approved to take a medical leave in Fall Quarter. She later extended her absence through the winter term.
Pierre saw a therapist and psychiatrist and participated in a six-week intensive outpatient program for mood disorders in her home state of Connecticut. She said the experience was different from how it may be portrayed in popular media.
“It’s not exactly how you see group therapy on TV, where it’s like AA meetings, and you have to say, ‘My name is Stacey’ and everyone’s like, ‘Hi Stacey,’” Pierre said. “It’s not as rigid as that. It was very casual conversation.”
From working at a grocery store to picking up crocheting to spending time with friends attending nearby schools like the University of Connecticut, Pierre stayed away from academic work.
Weinberg sophomore Ted Simons transferred from Lehigh University in the fall. But on top of health complications in the summer, he struggled academically during his transition to NU. These factors drove Simons’ decision to take a leave of absence for the Fall and Winter Quarters.
As someone who enjoys outdoor activities and nature, Simons moved to Montana, where he worked at a hotel. He said not having “the pressure of academics” allowed him to hone his interests and passions, and the work environment taught him hospitality skills.
“You’re always trying to engage with other people and listen to their complaints and make their stay better, versus school, where you’re stuck in your own head and own grind and with your own goals,” Simons said. “But here, your goals are to make other people happy and connect with other people, instead of worrying about yourself.”
Simons said he would recommend a medical leave experience like his to anyone who feels “lost” like he did. During his absence, he immersed himself in a new environment.
For Pierre, she said it was “necessary” for her to take the medical leave after her Fall Quarter had started, even though she grapples with stigmas around working through pain.
“The way that I started the quarter, if I’m being 100% honest, was really bad,” Pierre said. “I was a week behind on work, and a week behind on work in the quarter system is like three weeks behind in a semester. Sometimes I still feel bad for taking time because our society is like, ‘Well, you just got to keep going, you got to grind, grind, grind.’”
Saperstein said he applied for reinstatement shortly after his medical leave was approved, as he was already recovering at that point.
He said he felt like he had gotten back on track when he readjusted last spring. Looking back a year later from that reinstatement, he is maintaining his progress.
“I bounced back really quickly,” Saperstein said. “And fast forward a year later, I’m back into all my friendships, and my classes are going well, so I recovered from it well.”
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