To all those heading off to college soon, just know, it isn’t that scary. I was scared at first too, everyone is! I love being away at college so much, I cried when I left for the summer this year. Now, if you’re already in college, hopefully you’ll be able to relate to these points. College is a place to find yourself and create friends while preparing for a future. Even though there are far more reasons, here are the top ten reasons why I hate leaving my college town for the summer.
1. Getting to eat whenever and wherever you want
If I know one thing, it’s how to eat! I think I could easily say I’ve eaten more Chick-fil-A than most people do in their entire lifetime. Spicy chicken sandwich with French fries was my go to meal for lunch almost every day! Jimmy Johns, Papa John’s, Dominos, or other delivery companies are literally just a call away. You can order a large pizza by yourself if you really want to because no one cares! Guess this is why there’s a thing called the freshman fifteen. Don’t go crazy!
I personally go home to a small town so I don’t have all of these luxuries over the summer. So I definitely crave the good city restaurants when I leave for the summer.
2. Binge watching TV shows
I love laying on the couch, watching an entire season of "The Office." Sure, I can do this at home, but it isn’t as fun without my roommates and me singing to the theme song every single time it plays. My mom just doesn’t know the song, and my dad has to ask me who Dwight is. It’s great to burrito yourself into the nearest blanket and lounge all day (insert any type of food from number one here) without any questions asked!
3. Getting to meet new people all the time
Being a college student is the perfect way to meet new people. At home, you either know people or you don’t. At school, I meet new people every day. It’s amazing to walk around campus and see people you know.
4. Getting to wake up with your best friends every day
Every night is pretty much a sleepover! If your friends don’t live with you, at least they’re in the same vicinity! You can hang out into the wee hours of the morning, and then, when you wake up around 3:00pm the next day, you can hang out with them again! It’s truly amazing!
5. Going on midnight adventures
This doesn’t mean going on hikes or anything. Our midnight adventures were going to Walmart for marshmallows, butter, and Rice Krispies to make Rice Krispies Treats! We made these almost every day for a couple of months. You think I’m joking? We literally had them every day. So much, people asked us why we ate them so much.
Running to Walmart for pretty much anything you need was a regular thing for my friends and I. Someone needs paint; why wait for tomorrow? Walmart is open 24/7 for a reason! It was a little sketchy that late at night though. Word to the wise: use a buddy system!
6. Having freedom from the parentals
Everyone knows what it’s like to be able to do whatever whenever in college and going back home to a curfew. We’re left standing there wondering what we did to deserve a midnight curfew. Don’t our parents understand that we’re out all hours of the night at school?
Mine certainly don’t know what I do past 10:30pm. They go to bed then, so after that, I’m free to do as I please while in school. At home, I’m “under their roof,” so it’s their rules.
7. Getting to wear whatever the hell you want to wear
I see people wearing the same outfits multiple days in a row (I may be guilty of this) or wearing heels or leggings every day. You can literally wear whatever you want at college. No one cares. At home, it’s like there’s some type of way you have to dress.
“You need to look nice for the family.” If I don’t look nice for my science teacher, I don’t need to look nice for Grandma!
8. Having an infinite amount of Starbucks
Oh how I miss Starbucks. Like I mentioned, I live in a small town so I don’t have a Starbucks nearby. The closest one is 30 minutes. On campus, we had a Starbucks at our library. It was a five minute walk away and in a perfect location.
9. Being able to do nothing all day without judgement
Going back to the binge watching TV shows and lounging all day, it’s nice to be lazy all day without your parents ordering you around. One thing that’s a big difference at school and home is my sleeping schedule. At school, I would go to bed anywhere in between midnight and 3 a.m. and sleep until 1:30 p.m. At home, I still go to bed around 1 a.m., but my mom wakes me up in the mornings. I also got naps at school. At home, I doze off for a little while, but I don't get many naps. I feel even more tired all the time! I miss my sleeping schedule and bed in my college town. It was a little too perfect.
10. Being with my roommate
The last and most important reason why I hate leaving college is because my roommate lives two hours away from me instead of ten feet. My roommate happens to be my best friend, so moving home for the summer tore us apart! I don’t get to see her near as much. Roomie, we only have three months until we live together again and repeat numbers 1-9 together!
Living in a college town, you’re bound to have a great time! I definitely miss my beautiful college town while sitting home in a small town. Even tonight, I was craving food and couldn’t go out to get anything because all the “nearby” restaurants are too far away. At school, I could have just driven the ten minutes to eat whatever I wanted. I’m counting down the days until I can be back in my college town!
