It feels like just yesterday we were attending our senior proms and preparing to graduate from high school. Some classmates could not wait to graduate and move on with their lives. Meanwhile, others were leaving the year holding tightly onto the amazing memories and friendships they have made. Regardless, time continued on whether we liked it or not and before anyone knew it, our classmates took turns moving into college to begin the next chapter of their lives.
Fast forward a year later and here we are- freshman year of college is over with. Everyone fought through the stressful all-nighters to finish their last exams before packing up for the summer. Just like graduating high school, some students were more excited to return home than others. Sure I was excited to have a break from the heavy course load at school and come home to my family, friends, and a shower without shower shoes, but I didn’t want to leave what I had at school.
I know this sounds strange since, as freshmen, we still three years left ahead of us. However, the first year of college is filled with so many friendships, new experiences, and changes. It’s filled with constantly being so busy that down time doesn’t really exist—but that’s OK because you are creating memories that you will have forever. I was one of those lucky people who get to say their freshman year of college has so far been the best year of their life. Obviously, this made leaving for four months a little difficult to accept. However, once I got past the goodbye hugs and stressing over how to squeeze my life for the past nine months all into my car, I was faced with readjusting to a constant life at home. Regardless of how great of a blessing it is to come back to a great home and friends, it is still sad to leave your home at school.
The five phases of readjusting to your life back at home are typical. Moving back home for the summer can be an emotional roller coaster- at least it has been for me. After a full week and three days of being home I can proudly say I am fully settled back into a home routine. Adjusting back at home after a new and exciting independent life at college isn’t easy and if you are like me, these are the phases you are going to experience.
1. Bring me back now
The moment you see your school become smaller and smaller as you drive away is when this stage sets in. I don’t want to leave. I love my dorm. I love living with my friends. All of these thoughts run through your mind. You sit in the back seat of your over packed car and complain to your parents about how you aren't ready to leave. They laugh and think you’re joking but they don’t realize that you’re being dead serious. This first phase is normal- at least I like to believe it is. Going home means no more running down the halls and knocking on everyone’s door when you want to hang out. It means no more ordering Dominos at 2 a.m. (and then immediately regretting it). It means no more freedom and no more doing what you want when you want. It makes sense one wouldn’t want to leave.
2. Emotional breakdown—what do I do with my life?
Waking up the first morning home and the house is empty. There is nobody else in the house except maybe your sleeping dog at the foot of your bed. You take a moment to soak in the fact that you have 0 academic responsibilities clouding over you anymore. But then the strangeness sets in. There is nobody in the house for you to talk to. At school, there was always people around and always someone willing to have a pointless conversation. Now all you can hear is the sound of birds chirping from outside the window and maybe a lawnmower in the distance. You realize you now have to cook yourself your own breakfast and keep yourself entertained. For me, I freaked out not having anyone at home. It was a feeling I never had before. I used to love being home alone doing nothing but now all I wanted was company and something to do. I texted my sister a million times wondering when she would be home from school so she could be my friend. This stage lasted about 3 days before I learned to relax and enjoy every moment I had whether it be alone or with others.
3. Finding a routine (aka sleeping as much as you want)
This was a positive stage. Finally getting into the swing of things set you on a normal routine. For me, my everyday routine centered around getting back to the gym (after a nice, long night's sleep). Adjusting to this routine becomes easy and soon you are able to start building up a full day of activities. After almost two full weeks of being home, I now have a list of things I plan to do over the summer.
4. Contacting every college friend to make sure they know how much you miss them
Some time has now gone by since seeing the people you have been used to seeing every day. Luckily, our generation was blessed with Snapchat. Snapchat allows us to continually bother our friends without actually having to hold a constant conversation. I took advantage of this social media to send snaps to all of my college friends probably with the caption “I miss youuuu”. If lucky, the sad face filter is usable for the day and adds impact to show just how sad you are. Now I hold way too many streaks but have a reason to bother my friends everyday.
5. Being productive and realizing you will be OK for the next four months
This final stage sets the tone for your summer. If you’re like me, you have already set dates to get together with your roomie again. Hopefully at this point all unpacking is complete and you no longer have to worry about your mom yelling at you to put things away. You are now happily hanging out with your home friends on a normal basis and the days are flying by faster than they should. You catch up with everything going on at home and it sets in that your adjustment to being back is almost fully complete. Although you are away from the dorm room that you called home, and the friends who you grew such strong bonds with in such a short time, everything will be OK until your arrival back on campus in a few short months. Things will be different returning back to school to live in an apartment that isn’t necessarily close to your old hall mates. However, reuniting and catching up with those you couldn’t see over summer break will have you ready to tackle another year of academics...until you have to go through these phases again the following summer.
