The summer is drawing to a close and school isn’t only on the horizon, it is the horizon. And while I’ve loved being home for the summer with my friends and family, I’m so ready to go back to college.

A Routine

When I first got out of school I was so sick of having a routine, I just wanted to do whatever, whenever. But now, after months of working different hours and not knowing when (if ever) I’d have free time, I look forward to the structure school will bring. I have class in the morning, work in the afternoon and study hours in the evening, hopefully freeing up my weekends for fun!

Not Having To Do Dishes

I’m lucky that I live on campus and still have a meal plan, because as nice as a kitchen would be, I’m just not prepared to have to do dishes for all my meals. Having a buffet style cafeteria may to lead to over indulgence at times, but I won’t have to stress about not wanting my food to touch because I can use plates, secure in the knowledge I won’t have to clean them.

My Friends

Friends had to be in here somewhere of course, I thought I’d throw a loop by not making it first, even though we all know it’s what I’m looking forward to the most. I miss always having someone to get lunch with, my workout buddy and someone to catch me up on everything I missed while I was home for summer, working my life away. From my sorority sisters to my lab partner to the only other kid on my floor who rooted for the best basketball team (HOOSIERS), I've got some great times ahead of me with even greater people.

Late Nights Staying Up Doing Nothing

Believe it or not there are some nights where I’m actually caught up on all my schoolwork, sometimes even ahead, and that allows me the luxury of hanging out and doing nothing, because going is fun but sometimes you just want to chill. Whether its sitting around with my friends in my room, talking till we fall asleep or watching Legally Blonde for the millionth time, I know I can always look forward to these nights.

Late Night Snack Runs

This is a different category from staying up late because half the time the snack runs occur when we just need a break from studying. When I’m going on hour five of studying for that science exam the next day and I just can’t stand to look at another word, a snack run is the best option. It gets me out of the room, away from the books, brain food, and most importantly, some social interaction when I feel like I won’t ever be able to talk about anything other than chemical reactions again.

Learning

Call me a nerd, but I am going to college to get more knowledge. I look forward to finally being able to say I understand what people are saying when they hear my major, especially those who think “I’m a nursing major” means that I, a 19 year old girl with hair reminiscent of Rubeus Hagrid, could somehow diagnose, treat and cure “this funny bump on my back, ya know”. No, I do not know. But someday I will.

So here’s to the 2016-2017 school year being the best one yet.