Whether your college is 45 minutes, five hours, or 25 hours from home, there are still some things that you miss. It's hard being away from the people you've been surrounded by the past 18 years and no matter what anyone says, it doesn't get that much easier. Phone calls and texts make it better and having friends and homework to keep you busy make the time go by faster. And if you want to admit it or not, there are things you miss.
1. Your family
Family. The hardest thing to say goodbye, but always the happiest hello's. FaceTime is a way to make a month and a half, or longer, away from your family seem to go by fast. We're all excited the freedom that comes along with going to college, but eventually you learn the important things you've taken for granted for the last 18 years.
2. Your friends
College brings you a whole new set of diverse friends from all over United States or 30 minutes away, but no one can replace the people that share all your childhood and teenage memories with. It's hard catching each other over the semester, but Christmas break and other extended breaks give the opportunity to play catch-up.
3. Your pets
If you're anything like me, as soon as you pull into your driveway, you're out of the cat and inside scooping your cat up into your arms to make sure that he still remembers you. Leaving your pet is hard. They don't understand where you are going and why you don't come back for a long time, but ever so loyal, they're always so excited to see you.
4. Eating real food
We can all agree campus food isn't that great and when you live off campus, it doesn't get much better. Chances are you can't cook and rely on frozen foods that the only direction is to stick it in the oven. Making food is a lot than you thought. Going home to your Mom or Dad's cooking is always something to look forward to.
5. Your bed
Especially if you live in a dorm where the mattresses are as old as you and hard as rocks, going back home to your comfy mattress and actually having a good-nights sleep. And even if you live off campus and have a decent mattress, as Dorothy says, "There's no place like home!"
6. Arguing with your siblings
We all know we love to hate our siblings and you kind of start to miss them when you're gone. Arguing who goes to the better college, who gets the last piece of pizza, or to stop being so loud, life without your siblings can be hard!
7. Restaurants near you
Unless your college is in a major city, chances are the food choices are slim and stand no comparison to the restaurants in your town or neighboring places. Fun hot spots for snow cones, authentic Tex-Mex, or whatever is special to your town. We all go through withdraws that can only be fixed by going back home.
8. Lounging around the house
Free time is something that you have little to none of when you're in college. Homework, social events, studying, and what ever else you can fit in between. Going home is a great time to catch up on the lazy lounging around you've missed out on!
9. Parents supply of necessities
Okay, so must of us don't have parents from Extreme Couponing, but they do have seem to have stockpile of the basics that we all need. And sometimes they're more than generous when you're leaving to head back to college.
10. Your parents offering to do your laundry
Laundry is one of those menial necessities that we all hate to do. Whether you actually get around to it once a week, force yourself to after a month, or even go buy clothes to not have to do laundry yet, no one will turn down their parents if they off to do their laundry.
11. Better Wifi
Whether you live on or off campus, chances are the wifi isn't that great. We're all broke and trying to cut corners so maybe you don't have the greatest wifi service out there and doesn't work a lot, but home is where no stops are pulled and the wifi more than likely works all the time. (No wifi is perfect.)
