Winter break is a very bittersweet period of time. It's great to be home, but that feeling can go just as swiftly as it comes. You love to see your high school friends, but then you start to miss your college friends. You enjoy the relaxation that stems from not having any schoolwork, though you can't help but want to go back. As you near that second semester, you start to feel things. These things, believe it or not, are emotions. Here are some things you might be feeling as vacation draws to a close.
1. Happiness
Also known as probably the most obvious of all emotions, more likely than not, you're ready to reunite with your college friends. It doesn't matter who. Your sorority sisters, acapella groupies, football teammates, LARP pals, anyone. Home is great, but there's nothing quite like turning the campus upside down with your best friends. Nothing makes you happier than the thought of reuniting in just a few short days.
2. Disappointment
Chances are that you wanted to catch up on life while you were home. This can be interpreted in 100 different ways, whether it be catching up with all your friends from high school, or catching up on the sleep you didn't get during the first semester. There never seems to be enough days of break, though. A part of you, no matter how small, is definitely disappointed that you didn't have more time. Oh well, maybe you can catch up on your sleep next year.
3. Relief
Another day, and you might have imploded. Mom and Dad can be your best friends, but that doesn't mean they don't have the ability to get on every last nerve you have in your body. This doesn't apply to everyone, but more often than not, everyone at home has been on your case for weeks. It's gonna feel good knowing that that'll all end when you walk back out the door until spring break.
4. Fear
But wait, returning to college means returning to schoolwork. Returning to long nights, possible all-nighters, constant library visits, study groups, readings, projects, papers. It all just seems a little overwhelming, and the semester hasn't even started yet. You don't even know what classes are going to be like and how difficult the professors might be. It's a little intimidating. You know you'll make it through... barely.
5. Sadness
I did mention it was bittersweet, right? Even if you're ready to explode from the rules weighing you down at home, family is still family. After a few days time of being at school, you know that you'll go right back to missing the people who have been with you since day one. College is the experience of a lifetime, but there's something unique about the family that loves you unconditionally. Best not to think about it.
6. Excitement
A new semester means new experiences, new opportunities, new friendships. Schoolwork is tough, but everything that happens outside of the classroom is what creates the best college experience. The possibilities for what may happen are endless, and that couldn't be more exciting.
