Coming home after a long semester at college can be both a blessing and curse. After being so used to living a certain way at school coming home for the summer is going to cause the average student to make some pretty major lifestyle changes. On the one hand, you are finally free of exams, papers, drama and the campus food. But being home from May until August also comes with a whole new set of responsibilities and things you're going to need to readjust to when you finally make it back home.
1. A curfew
At school, you can go out and stay out at your leisure. A 2 a.m. run to get food on a Monday was always an option and time didn't exist. However, going anywhere at 2 a.m. is almost never a good idea when you live with your parents again and have to ask them for permission if you want to go anywhere.
2. Friends (or lack thereof)
For the first time in a while, you can hang out with your friends from home. With college friends that live miles and miles away from you, you can finally see the friends that you've missed at home. But that may not always be the case. They could have gone off to college and become totally different people or they may not be home at the same time you are. Either way, you can't always be expected to be greeted with the same squad you had before you left.
3. The food
No longer are you subject to dining hall food and you have your favorite foods and restaurants from home. While this is a good thing for a lot of students when they come home, not having a meal plan and eating whatever leftover you can find in the house can be a very sad experience.
4. A job
At school, it's not always a necessity to be making money. But when you're at home, money is everything. When you want to do something fun while you're at home, money is usually a requirement. That means that a summer job is waiting for you. Whatever job that is, at some point you're probably going to wish that you were back in your dorm room instead of talking to a customer. The pain kicks in when you realize you're spending very little time on your "vacation" actually relaxing.
5. Family
Being away from your family is difficult. Coming home to them after such a long time apart is great feeling. After your friends at school become closer to you than your actual family it is definitely relieving to have them back in your everyday life. Even if things aren't perfect between you and your parents and siblings and tensions might arise, you know that at the end of the day these are the people that will truly have your back and you all definitely missed each other.
Being at home all summer is a love-hate relationship. While having your family, friends and your mom's cooking back is definitely something to be excited about, you're sure to miss college life at some point and count down the days until you get to go back. So make this summer count, fun at college also brings a helping of exams and papers. Soon you'll be waiting to be free from that and be back home.
