For most college students, Thanksgiving Break is desperately needed. The semester is winding down and professors are seriously drilling assignments, papers, and tests before finals. As a senior, however, Thanksgiving Break is a little different than in previous years. Here's a list of things all seniors think, feel, and have to put up with during their last Thanksgiving Break:
1. Wondering if this is your last Thanksgiving at home
Many of us are planning on moving far far far away from home after college, which sounds amazing to be away from your annoying family. Depending on the distance, it might be difficult for us to return home and get off of work for the holiday in the future. But even as annoying as they are, it might be sad to not be with them for major family holidays like Thanksgiving.
2. Having to deal with the first round of annoying questions
Since Thanksgiving is probably the first time you're going home all semester, you've avoided all the typical senior-year-family questions. So be prepared while you're sitting at the dinner table for all the "What are you planning on doing next year?" and "How is job searching?" and "Are you sad to be graduating college?" questions. Just keep eating turkey and drinking wine, honey.
3. Having to deal with your parents' house rules
You're 22 years old. You've lived out of home for over 3 years, and you've gotten used to cooking for yourself, cleaning for yourself, and doing whatever the hell you want whenever the hell you want. While your parents might be happy with you making your own dinner and doing your own dishes, they might be pretty pissed about you stumbling home at 3 a.m. drunk off your ass on a Tuesday.
4. Realizing your high school friends are finally your high school friends
It's sad to think that the friends you used to spend every moment with in high school have become the people you text when you go home every once and a while and say "we should meet for you lunch and catch up!" You've both made new great friends at school and you still love your high school friends, but you've sort of... run out of things in common. It's sad, but a part of growing up (and is something that will happen with your college friends soon...)
5. Not really getting a break because you're looking for jobs
It's annoying enough to get assignments over the break from professors. But think about this: spending your break researching jobs, preparing your resume, and.....networking. Suddenly turkey and cranberry sauce is not as wholesome and fun as it used to be.
6. Actually being a responsible adult/grandparent
Like I said before, you've become accustomed to cooking your own meals, cleaning up after yourself, and being a responsible live-in. On top of that, you're spending most of your time getting work done, sitting at home in pajamas, and going to bed at 9 p.m. You might catch up with old friends once, and possibly even go out on Friday or Saturday night, but for the most part you're really transitioning from gross college kid to responsible, boring adult. Congratulations?
7. Picking up a few shifts at the summer job because you REEEAAALLY need to make money
Thinking about your future so much over this break, you realize you actually need more than $300 in your bank account to sustain a living on your own. And you've had your share of Ramen dinners and not doing laundry for a few weeks to save cash, so if you can pick up some work over the break to make more money, you'll do as much as you can.
8. Preparing yourself for your LAST. SEMESTER. EVER.
Yep. That's right. After Thanksgiving, there's about 3-4 weeks left of the semester, and then Christmas break before starting the final semester of college. You can't believe how fast this semester went by, and how you're already at the end of November, but the fact that second semester is closer than we realized is one of the scariest and most exciting feelings. You prepare for this by hiding under your comforter watching Netflix and quietly sobbing to yourself.
9. Referring to your home as your "parents' house"
You suddenly sound like a middle-aged married person who only visits for major holidays in your soccer-mom van with crew of five toddlers, but you can't help but keep saying your "parents' house" when you just mean home. Who are you turning into?!?!
10. Realizing that your family is actually pretty great
You usually get annoyed with your mom's crazy OCD about cleaning the house, your sister's teenage angst, and your father's habit of leaving the TV volume on so loud you can hear it from outside the house. But since you're thinking so much about Thanksgiving dinner, your future, and the fact that you're going to be permanently "leaving the nest" soon, their quirks and behaviors are suddenly appealing and sentimental.
