Summer is right around the corner, thank God. Finals are near and the end is in sight, so we use this time to reflect (and study, of course). We reflect on this year at Penn State and what we love most about this amazing school. From free stuff to great friends, there is so much we leave behind this summer as we depart University Park. Some of this stuff is hard to part with because it is part of our daily routine. The things we miss about PSU over the summer break will be the things that make us want to come rushing back this fall semester.

Here are nine things every Penn Stater is going to miss as they spend their summer away from State College, our home away from home:

1. Using meal points/LionCash to pay for everything

If you’re anything like me, I ALWAYS ask if I can pay with LionCash. The thought of going home and having to use real people money is frightening. I’ll have to take out my credit card and spend my hard earned money, such a shame. Plus, you get discounts for using meal points and LionCash. I don’t get discounts for using my credit card. The sad reality of a privileged college kid.

2. Free stuff

Free t-shirts, food, and even camelbaks? At Penn State there is an endless stream of free stuff, so going home to people not loading me up with unnecessary essentials is disappointing. I do not need 100 free t-shirts, but I have them. Free food? Say less. And yes, there have been free camelbaks. I don’t know how Penn State affords offering free stuff to 40,000+ students, but I appreciate it greatly.

3. Concerts

Whether discounted for students or free due to sponsorship, the best concerts come to college campuses. Kanye, Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, PnB Rock, Brothers Osborne, Brantley Gilbert, Dram, Dej Loaf, and so many more. PSU is a hub for great live entertainment, making it hard for students to wait all summer for the next school year’s shows to be announced.

4. Fiddlehead, Irvings, and other State College eating staples

State College has some of the best eats, making it so hard to leave Penn State for the summer. Leaving behind the best salads from Fiddlehead, breakfast sandwiches from Irving's, or not being able to conveniently access creamery ice cream is so hard (especially because the creamery takes meal points).

5. McLanahans

There is no place more convenient than McLanahan’s. Need batteries? McLanahan’s. Need apples? McLanahan’s. Need Penn State merch? McLanahan’s. Need headphones? McLanahan's. The list can go on and on. Some days you walk into McLanahan’s and think they might not have what you are looking for and then, bam, there it is.

6. Order Up

Oh, the convenience. There is nothing better than having your pick of a late night snack/feast via Order Up. They’ll deliver food from almost every restaurant in State College right to your dorm, and when you are too lazy and tired to walk you don’t mind paying a small delivery fee. They’ll even deliver Coldstone ice cream… umm yes please.

7. Roaming Fratland

There is nothing better than a nice night walking the streets of fratland. The loud music, the screaming frat boys, the empties everywhere… it just screams college. There is something so stereotypical about Penn State’s fratland, like something you see in a movie. That’s why it is so great. It provides that college atmosphere that everyone loves and makes many weekends full of excitement.

8. Penn State Sports

Football, Volleyball, Hockey, Wrestling. When it comes to sports, we are pretty much a big deal. Multiple Big Ten Championships in one year? With such excitement, it’s no wonder people are going to miss PSU sports over the summer break. People want to see their favorite Nittany Lion teams absolutely destroy the competition. That being said, it makes every Nittany Lion fan excited for fall to roll around (and especially for another amazing football season).

9. Friends

And finally, the most important part of school and the hardest thing to leave behind this summer: our friends. Whether new or old, our friends are part of what make our college experience so worth the ups and downs. They live with us, go to class with us, and experience everything that college has to offer. When we part for the summer, we part from routine and memories. They will be greatly missed over the summer months, making coming back to school more and more exciting as the summer days begin to wind down.