Summer is something everyone tends to look forward to. It means no school, beach days, nice weather, and no stress.
But for college students returning home, is bittersweet. Yes, we look forward to all the perks of summer but it also means leaving the little world we survived and thrived in over these past 10 months.
Although we won't miss the exams or assignments, there are some aspects of the college life that will be missed this summer.
1. The Late-Night Meals
It's not as easy or acceptable to call up Papa John's or Dominos at 2 a.m. and order a pizza or pop in an Easy Mac into the microwave. Plus, eating alone is definitely not as fun as late night snacking with friends.
Plus, you can't exactly rely on the "it's OK I have an exam and I am stressed" excuse at home.
2. The Night Life
There definitely won't be an array of fraternity parties or bars or clubs to choose from every night. The home-party life won't compare to the college life even if you and your old high school friends are now in college.
3. The Close Proximity Of Everything
As much as we like driving, the idea of having to get into a car and spend money on gas every time we want to get somewhere is not as appealing as just having to walk a few feet to get food, go to the gym, or go to classes. This is definitely something we will miss.
4. The Freedom
Sorry, M om and Dad, but we will definitely miss that college freedom. It's not that we don't love being home with you, but being on our own and not having to check in with someone every moment can be quite nice. There's a lot of freedom that comes with college and freedoms that only exist there.
Also, being home for the summer usually means a summer job to say goodbye to and an endless amount of free time as well.
5. Unexplained Netflix-Binge Days
In college, you aren't judged for watching 12 episodes of that show on Netflix because there is a good chance your friends are doing the same thing. At home, you may have to explain these choices of yours.
6. Random Late-Night Conversations With Your Roommate
Getting your own room is definitely nice, but there are some aspects of having a roommate that will be missed like those random 2 a.m. conversations about everything/nothing or always having someone around to talk to and joke around with.
7. College Sports Games
The spirit at a college sport's game is something indescribable. It's your school, your players, your team, and your job to go crazy for them. The unity and energy at these games, whatever the sport may be, will be missed over the summer.
8. Your Signature College Food
College food tends to get a bad reputation, but there are somethings you know you'll miss just a little bit, especially those cheap off-campus food places that are unique to your college town.
9. Your College Routine
Most people tend to develop a routine in order to adjust to a new place, so it's safe to say most people had a classic college routine that they created around their class schedule, but once we go home that routine gets disrupted.
10. Your Friends
The thing about college is people from all over the country -- and even world -- attend each university which means you probably have friends from all over and it's hard to visit and see everyone over the summer. Although technology helps us stay in contact, it's not the same as just walking down the hall to your friend's room to hang out or walking through the library and seeing a familiar face. You create a different bond with your college friends than other people in your life, so leaving them, even if it is just for the summer, is definitely the hardest part about the end of the semester for summer.
Being home comes with many advantages and summer is something almost everyone spends the whole year looking forward to, but it also comes with a little bit of sadness as we have to temporarily part with our other world back at school.
