The holiday season is a time to grateful and thankful for what we have and the experiences we to share with others. College is a whole new realm that along with it creates new things to be thankful for that we maybe weren’t before.

1. A Professor who's lectures aren't a snooze fest.

Rate my Professor is a blessing in disguise when you need a register for classes and there’s 15 different sections with like 5 different professors.

2. A TI, TA, or Tutor that gives you old exam material

They deserve an award. Especially for those classes that gives you ZERO practice material. Old exams help you gage where you’re at with the material (Also a lot of classes write their new exams while looking back at old ones). So thank you.

3. Netflix

Well, it’s more like a love-hate relationship because it can turn into an addiction real fast. You want to know where Eleven is but you also have a calc exam in two days.

4. Places that take meal swipes that aren't the dining hall

The dining halls could be worse but the food they serve starts to get very repetitive so having options is always a good thing.

(Yes the Starbucks Truck on campus takes meal swipes)

5. Gameday

There’s something about game day at a Big Ten school that other schools could never comprehend. The Tailgates go on for forever and there is VERY loyal Alumni that come back every game. Going to football games has put perspective into just how large my school is.

6. More than 5 hours of sleep

I don’t go to bed before midnight anymore, I physically can’t. But the days that I still get 8 hours of sleep are good days.

7. Free Food/Free T-shirts

Even if you’re not broke you definitely don’t want to be spending all your money on food and free t-shirts mean more days to put off doing your laundry. Either way, this is the best way to attract students to events.

8. A canceled class

Waking up to an email that your class is canceled means you get to go back to sleep. If it’s during the day, you’ve just gained some nap time.

9. Facetime dates with friends from home.

I’m very fortunate to have amazing best friends from home so being able to see their face and hear their voice, even if it’s for a half hour, never fails to brighten my day. They make my cloudy days just a little brighter.

10. The relief after finishing an exam

Even though taking Chem exams at 9:40 at night sucks the thing that gets me through it is knowing I get to go back and just watch Netflix because I’m sure as hell not during work at 11 after an exam. It’s just one time I feel like I can take a break without feeling guilty about it.

11. The fact that you can roll out of bed and go to class in sweatpants and there’s zero judgments.

I have to say it’s pretty great. In high school, a lot of people care about looking put together. With morning classes, you can go in your pajamas and then come back and put yourself together later.

12. Food places that deliver to you at obscene hours of the night.

If you’re up past midnight you probably haven’t eaten in 5+ hours, but never fret, there are Fat Sandwiches and milkshakes that can be delivered basically at any hour of the night.

13. Loving and supportive parents, family, and friends.

College is hard. I cried every day the first week and that was just syllabus week. It’s a brand new place with complete strangers. Most at face value, act like they've got it together and they have a handle on it (but really the majority doesn’t, we're just not going to show a bunch of strangers how much of a mess we are). If you don’t believe me ask around. But it’s your parents, family, and friends from home that help you push through so that the rough week turns into rough days which turns into a rough time every now and then.

14. Your new friends

These friends are different, you’re all experiencing something completely new. They see you every day in all possible states: happy, frustrated, upset, and sleep-deprived. They support you through everything; after all, we're all suffering together. You haven’t known each other too long but still know a lot about each other, staying up all night helps that.

15. The opportunity to go to college

I feel as if this gets forgotten about really quickly, through the stress of the workload no one stops to think I’m so blessed to have this opportunity. Some people are not as fortunate enough to be able to further their education and we are and we need to be grateful for that every day. Education is so readily accessible in America, unlike other countries. We should all be blessed that we’re stressed(about schoolwork).

16. Thanksgiving Break

If you also go to Rutgers, you have yet to have a break. I can’t express how much this break is overdue and needed. We’ve lacked family, old friends, and home cooked meals; so we are very grateful for this break.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!