As I plan to move back to campus this week, I can’t help but feel like even though I’ve done this for three years now, I’ll never get used to it. Sure, I’m excited to go back to see my friends, take some of the cool classes I signed up for (shh, my mom reads these, too), go out on the weekends, and regain my independence, but the path to getting there is a chaotic one. That being said, here are the struggles all of us college students experience as we head back for another year:

1. Knowing you should probably start packing soon so you don’t get overwhelmed, but procrastinating anyways.

2. Getting overwhelmed because of course you left everything for the weekend before move-in on Monday.

3. Trying to pack all of the essentials knowing that you’ll probably never use all of them but you refuse to accept it.

4. Saving pictures of online inspiration for room décor knowing you aren't capable of recreating any of it.

5. Loading everything into the car like a puzzle.

6. Having to wake up at the crack of dawn to make that move to campus.

7. Check-in and all the interrogation that comes with it just so they can give you your damn keys.

8. Having 30 minutes to rent the yellow bins to move all your stuff up to your room.

9. Profusely sweating at all the labor you’ve done in these few hours that you probably haven’t matched since last move in.

10. Unpacking everything and having your room look like this.

11. Leaving with your parent to go get the items that couldn’t fit in your car.

12. Repeat #10.

13. Trying to organize your room aka your mom making your bed and putting things where she wants even though you all know that’s the first and last time your room will look that way.

14. The tearful goodbye as your parents leave.

15. Nap until you get the text that it’s time to go out.

Even though this process is excruciatingly painful, the freedom after the fact is invaluable.