Yes, it's that time of the break. The holidays are over (boooo), half of your friends are already back at school, add/drop is around the corner, and things are generally winding down. It's during this time I started to reflect on all things winter break and what to expect going forward into my second semester of college. Here are some of those realizations.
1. Winter break in college is 300% better than winter break in high school.
Not only do you get an entire month off instead of a measly two weeks, but there's something about not seeing people for 5 months that makes you appreciate them that much more. Also eating home cooked meals, being in your own room, and having a car again doesn't hurt either.
2. It's not the worst thing to see people you didn't like in high school around your hometown.
Alright, they may have been annoying after spending the past 13 years in school with them, but after some much needed time away, it's usually nice to spend time catching up with everyone (or maybe that's just me being nosey.)
3. Your mom does everything for you.
Maybe it's because her motherly instincts haven't had someone to micromanage for 5 months or maybe it's because she genuinely missed you, but if there's one thing I've come to realize it's that moms are putty in your hands when you come home for winter break. (Personal
4. A lot has changed without you in your hometown.
Just because you left and went to college, it doesn't mean the world stopped turning. The people you left at home will keep on living and you'll come back to find not everything is exactly how you left it. Don't be surprised if you come home to at least 4 new traffic lights in your neighborhood and new restaurants replacing your old favorites.
5. It's weird to hear your friends have new stories about people you've never met before.
Maybe this is specific to smaller town people, but it will feel weird to listen to your friends' new, college stories about "crazy Dave who stood up while riding a mechanical bull." Also, you won't get all their Snapchat story references anymore because even though it's hard to admit, you no longer live in the same place.
6. You're going to be asked about college a lot.
Obviously it's the holidays so your family has nothing better to do but pester you about your grades and find out how you like your new school, but the seniors are the most curious. Your senior friends are at that point in the year where college is actually becoming real to them and the fact that they're about to be graduated high school alumni is freaking them out. So they'll ask a lot of questions and you'll answer them because you know exactly how they feel. It's weird that it was just last year that you were worrying about all these unknown things that would come with moving to a foreign place with entirely new people.
7. Picking which address to use is harder than expected.
I never imagined one of my biggest struggles during my first year of college would be a residential crisis. When I'm buying something do I give them my dorm address or my hometown address? If I give them my dorm address will my card be declined because it doesn't match my billing address? Which do I tell people when they ask where I live? Most importantly, where do I ship my online orders to???
8. You'll want to bring your bed to college with you and just everywhere you go really.
Looking back on my life in my hometown, the thing I took advantage of most was the comfort, safety, and homeyness of my bed. Don't get me wrong, the mattress pad on my dorm bed is A1 but let's be honest can it even compete with my memory foam mattress and duvet at home? Absolutely not. Not to mention, in college I have to climb up a ladder to get cozy in my twin bed where at home I can just fall into my spacious queen.
9. Being home is great, but it'll feel like there's something missing.
Don't get me wrong I love catching up with old friends and being in the same house as my family again but there's something about it that doesn't feel 100% normal. That's because it isn't normal, not your new normal anyway. Your new normal is back at college with new friends and new habits and you'll start to miss it, a lot.
10. You'll discover just how much you like your college.
Although not everyone falls in love with their college in the first semester, you'll definitely be able to tell who's happy where they are depending on how excited they are to go back. I often found that the people who didn't immediately start smiling the minute you mentioned going back for second semester are the people who are thinking about transferring. More importantly, it's a good time to self-evaluate your own happiness level at college by thinking about how you're feeling about the journey "home."
11. You'll start to feel old and like you finally belong at college.
When I first started college in the fall I couldn't even believe I was really there. I couldn't believe I was 18 and had to now fend for myself in this 'adult' setting with no one to answer to except myself. But after being back for winter break, it's like you no longer fit into the mold you built for yourself in your hometown because you've outgrown it. Almost everyone you see around town (adults excluded) is younger than you and college is just a far away idea to them (even the seniors). You'll begin to realize it's because college has changed you, at least slightly, because you're more mature and things you once wondered about, you now know.
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