Whether you like it or not, August is fast approaching, summer is almost over, and Target has gotten their school supplies out.

It’s back to school season.

There’s nothing we can do to stop it at this point, it is inevitable that our lazy summer days are coming to an end, and our days will be filled with lectures instead of concerts, textbooks instead of Netflix, and homework instead of hanging out.

I can remember getting ready for the elusive first day of school growing up. My clothes were always laid out perfectly the night before, my lunch was packed, and brand new colored pencils were freshly sharpened and placed in my pencil case that most likely took my half an hour to pick out.

I was ready.

That excitement usually wore off within the first few weeks, and then the monotony of school began to kick in.

Although it began to get monotonous, I was never one of those kids that disliked school. The long days of summer stretched on far to long for me, and I enjoyed the structure that school gave me.

I’m still the same way.

Although I no longer lay out my clothes the night before, and my shopping trip for school supplies has been cut down from an hour to a grand total of about five minutes—I still look forward to the beginning of the school year.

There’s something exciting (and hopeful) about starting the school year with a fresh transcript and new classes.

But being in college, there are even more exciting things to look forward to.

The worst about college is that during the summer, your friends generally live all over the country. If you’re lucky, you might get to see them over the summer. But more likely than not, your summer is a three month drought of the people that get you the most.

Have no fear—for when school rolls around, you’ll all be in the same place, at the same time.

There’s new dorms to be decorated, new people to meet, a hopeful (but usually false) sense that maybe the dining hall has better food, and a whole city to reacquaint your self with after being gone for what seems like an excruciating long three months.

Even though I’m no longer laying out clothes, and my parents are not there to see me off on my first day of school, there is still something wonderful about the beginning of the new school year.

I can’t wait to see what this year brings.