College is great. You pass by what seems like every friend in the universe on your way to class. You have some of the best professors at school, and you love everything about what their teaching. You've got a sweet outfit on, the weather's nice, you feel on top of the world. But uh oh. What's that? Did you just cough? Well, your day was nice while it lasted.
Getting sick in college is inevitable. Take 4,000, 5,000, however many thousand students and throw them all on a college campus, and chances are, one of them has that nasty sore throat, that awful stomach ache, or the dreadful cough. With so many people all jam-packed into the same place, it's wicked easy for sickness to transmit from one to another. Giving a hug to your best friend, or pushing people out of the way for a free T-shirt, no one is safe.
And if you live in a dorm hall, you might as well quarantine yourself now. The end is nigh.
Being sick in college is probably one of the worst experiences in the world (next to finding out that Dunkin' is all out of pumpkin spice for the season). It's one thing having a 102 degree fever and coughing periodically every eight seconds, but it's a whole new ball game when you have the fever, the cough and are miles upon miles away from home as a college student.
Gone are the days of being able to stay home from school and cozy up on the couch watching the latest episode of "Spongebob." Now you're in college. Have the stomach bug? That's cute. Now go to class.
These days, staying home just doesn't cut it anymore. Have a sick day in high school and you'll probably only have to play catch up for a day or two. Have a sick day in college and say goodbye to your social life for the rest of the semester. They say to stay home if you're sick, but let's be real, you can't afford to miss a day in college. Chances are those few pages of notes will cost you at least 20 points on the next test.
But the worst part about being sick away from home? Not having that parental figure to take care of you while the sickness takes over. Wasn't it so great when you could stay home and your mom or dad or whoever would make you soup and ask you if you needed another blanket while you lay there and veg out for the day? In college, that's not a real thing, Yeah, a roommate can make you soup and do those things, but it's not the same. IT'S NOT THE SAME.
Being sick isn't as bad as it seems, but it's an inexplicable feeling not being home and having to handle sickness on your own. One of the struggles of growing up is having to take care of yourself...by yourself. Some people handle it like a champ. So while those people are pushing through the sickness with a smile on their face, the rest of the world will be huddling up in the corner taking shots of DayQuil and wondering what in the world is wrong with those people.
