All of the highs and lows of another year away at college have come and gone, and here you are home for summer. This may be a bittersweet time, while you may be sad to leave your college town and friends, you're happy to be home without the stress that came along with classes and other responsibilities and ready to be back home with not much to worry about for a while. It's leaving your new way of life and coming back to what you're used to that causes you to come to several realizations.
1. You're bored.
At school, there's always something going on and things to do almost every day and night. Getting used to that lifestyle then coming home to a likely uneventful hometown, the transition is difficult and you're left racking your brain for things to do. Sure, you can get a job, take some summer classes or lay by the pool every day, but the same old thing day after day is rough in comparison to the spontaneous events colleges bring.
2. You were living in a less than desirable space.
Sure, you made the most of your little dorm room and made plenty of memories, but let's be honest and say that no one could pay you to live another year in that shoebox of a room. From the tiny bed, endless dust and constant noise, you appreciate your own room so much more when you come home.
3. You can't live by your own rules anymore.
One of the most liberating privileges of college is that you're your own boss when it comes to literally everything. No one to report to, no one to get permission to have to do anything, it's all up to you. Once you have this mentality for almost a year, coming home to rules and curfew is a rude awakening.
4. You were putting your body through actual hell while you were gone.
Many people fall victim to the "Freshman Fifteen" and there's no surprise why. Drinking a couple times a week, late night greasy foods, staying up late to study, and barely exercising are just scratching the surface of things many people become accustomed to doing. Coming home makes you realize how ready you are to get break those habits and get yourself back on track.
5. You missed your dog almost more than your family.
All jokes aside, coming home to a wagging tail and uncontainable excitement from your best little pal was one of the best parts about coming home. It was no doubt the hardest long distance relationship you had to deal with.
6. You miss your college friends.
Coming home after a long year sounds great — until you get home and remember the people you've been doing almost everything with for the past year won't be coming with you. Those goodbyes can be just as hard as it was to leave your high school friends when you ended off to college in the first place, but it's comforting to know that it's only temporary and soon enough you will all be back together.
7. You feel like you've outgrown your hometown.
Leaving home to start a new chapter of your life was so exciting. Getting a taste of freedom and getting to live your life exactly the way you want to is something you came to love about being away at school. Coming back home feels nostalgic at first, remembering how different of a stage of life you were in when you lived there last, just a high school kid ready for bigger and better things out there to go experience, so getting back into the old swing of things almost feels like a momentary standstill. But in the meantime, you're happy to enjoy the downtime until you're back to the everyday grind of classes and everything that comes along with college.
