Even though the fall semester has finally come to an end, you remain at a standstill with your feelings about actually leaving campus. Don’t get me wrong, every student experiences a captivating rush of excitement and sense of relief when handing in their last final. But as they make their way out of the building, reality sets in that they won't be surrounded by their college friends 24-7, like they are used to.
A month is a very long time for college students, as they have become adapted to living with no rules, no parents and only depend on themselves to have enough self-discipline to get out of bed in the morning after a night out. Now that students are back at home, they are beginning to become reacquainted with structure and questions regarding their whereabouts every time they leave the house. As nice as it to get off-campus and be surrounded by family over the holidays, after a couple weeks students begin to feel the symptoms of withdrawal and long for the nights spent with friends back in the dorms or at their favorite frat house. Here is a timeline of a college student’s winter break.
Stage 1: Couldn’t be more excited if you tried
The first couple day’s home from the break are the peak of whole winter break. First you come home, to a fully stocked pantry, and then are finally able to jump into your bed and catch up on the hours of sleep that you lost when you were studying for finals. Because your parents are extra excited that you are home for a month, they seem more generous than usual when attending to your needs (at least for the first day or two). This is the period of time when you are able to reconnect with your best friends from high school. As Thanksgiving break is a rather short period of time and you may not have been able to see them during that break. So the thought of you actually being with them in person makes you giddy inside. And last but not least its Christmas, and you get to give gifts to the people you love most. Nothing is really better than that!!!
Stage 2: The Comedown
So the initial excitement of being home has subsided. You have already seen everybody you wanted to see and caught up with everything going on in their lives. Your home life isn’t nearly as crazy as your college life, and you find yourself having flashbacks of fun nights out with your friends, random times throughout the day. You have accidentally trained your body into this bad habit of binge-watching Netflix until three in the morning and then waking up at one in the afternoon. This bad habit has turned into a vicious cycle that you can’t seem to break and it’s effecting you physically and mentally. You are beginning to feel a little restless, so you begin to start planning for a fun New Years.
Stage 3: Making the best with what you have
With the hope of getting yourself out of the house, you try and make something out of the time you have left at home by trying new things in your area. For many, the time off could be focused on getting a jumpstart for a healthier new year by joining a gym or trying out a hot yoga class that you always wanted to do with friends. For other people (or for those who recently turned 21) there is always the different approach to using, this time, to try out all of the local bars that you have always wanted to try with your hometown friends. But to each his own.
Stage Four: Separation Anxiety
The time apart from your college friends is really starting to affect your mantra. You made a countdown on your phone and you find yourself checking it a couple times a day just to keep up the hype about going back to school. You have started to plan out outfits for the first week back because you want to be looking sharp. But just to ensure that everything is cute, you face time your roommate and have her give a once-over and get her approval on everything.
Stage Five: Back at it
Well, somehow the end of break is here. That means you are on your own again, and its time to pack up all of your stuff and head back to school (that is if you weren’t living out of your suitcase for that whole month.) It was really nice to spend time with your family and friends from home, but now its time to do it all over again and buckle up for another crazy five months ahead of you!
