Your typical college experience tends to occur during the fall and spring semesters where football games, formals and spring break trips rule over everything else with an iron fist. The real question is what do you do during the three month gap that straddles these two academic periods? Students must make the monumental decision of whether to stay in the fun-filled college town that they have come to love or to crawl back home to the parents to beg for free food and shelter.

Continuing classes, a job opportunity or just staying for the heck of it are all good reasons to extend your spring semester longer than intended. Whether you are 19 years old and wondering where your freshman year went, or an ancient senior who wants one more shot at being young, anyone can enjoy a sunbathed and slightly less stressful college scene. You can expect to spend endless days wasting away at the pool, only to clean yourself up as the sun sets and take on the night scene with a fresh sunburn. Your friends will talk you into spontaneous trips to the beach without much resistance.

The break away from home seems to have all the necessary parts to create the most memorable and epic summer of your life. While it may seem enticing, there are a few downsides that may have you running back home as soon as you finish your last exam.

Money is at the root of it all. Without money your college experience would cease to exist and a summer away from home can drain your checking account faster than you think. If you’re anything like me, your parents aren’t too keen on your bar tabs and post 2 a.m. adventures to Taco Bell. 

You also have to think about your living situation. While some may say they can just crash at a friend’s place, they might not consider how long they can live with that person, as well as how long they can last before kicking you to the curb.  What it really comes down to is that you may be spending more time working or looking for a job than you will be taking beach trips and dollar shots.

You can dread working on days when there isn’t a cloud in the sky and all your friends are enjoying the sun poolside. You can call your parents in utter defeat when you have run out of money. You can sub-lease the most dirt cheap apartment where the air conditioner is broken and your roommates crawl on the floor. But you can’t replace or put a dollar amount on the blast you’ll have away from your boring home town.  

The reality is that you only have a few college summers before the real world slaps you in the face. So enjoy the summer and your youth. It won’t be long before your bathing suit body and bank account are equally dreadful to look at.