Our bodies are not perfect. We sweat, we break out, and most inevitably, we get sick. The immune system works mysteriously and differently for each and every one of us. Sometimes, we are able to combat illness; at other times, we fall victim to it. Some people can go months without getting sick, while others can’t seem to ever fight off a cold. It’s a weird and somewhat unpredictable aspect of the human body, which I learned the hard way upon coming to college. Whether it’s from lack of sleep, living in a highly populated apartment complex, or even sharing drinks with friends, I’ve been sick quite a few times while being away at school, and I’ve learned that it’s nothing like being sick at home. Here’s what it’s like being sick at home vs. being sick at school.
At home your parents cater to you; at school you have to help yourself.
Back at home, you get to comfortably stay in bed while your parents bring you medicine, soup, and other types of get well treats. Need an extra pillow? No worries, they’ll get it for you. Need some more tissues? Not a problem, they’ve already stocked your desk with two additional boxes. You basically don’t have to lift a finger because your parents will be there to help you get better ASAP. At school, it’s the opposite. You’re completely on your own. You can lie in bed and scream through the door for someone to grab you a cup of chicken noodle soup, and maybe if you’re lucky one of your roommates will do it for you, but most of the time no one is there to answer you're stuck taking care of yourself.
At home you can take a sick day; at school you can’t afford one.
Missing a day or two of high school was usually frowned upon, but deep down your teachers and parents couldn’t hold it against you if you were sick. I used to have teachers that would say, “If you’re sick, please don’t come in and contaminate the rest of us!” In addition to that, my mom used to insist on me staying home whenever I didn’t feel well so that I could rest up and recover. In college, some professors don’t see being sick as a legitimate excuse for missing class unless you are really “dying.” Plus, even if you do feel like you’re “dying” (let’s hope this never happens), you feel like you can't even afford to miss class because you’re afraid of falling behind. Now, when I call my mom to tell her I’m sick, she automatically says, “Feel better, but you still went to class today though, right?” Oh, how the tables have turned.
At home going to the doctor is easy; at school it’s nearly impossible.
The doctor’s office you go to at home is easily accessible. You can swiftly schedule an appointment, see one consistent doctor, and not have to answer a lifestyle questionnaire every time you go. In college, you can hardly ever get an appointment at the university’s wellness center unless you wake up at the crack of dawn to call, which most of the time only results in you being put on a waiting list anyway. When you do actually get to be seen by a doctor, it’s someone who doesn’t know anything about you or your previous medical history, hence why most of the time they ask you to fill out a slightly awkward and personal questionnaire about yourself. How many partners have I had? How many drinks do I consume per week? How often do I exercise? You know my name, not my story.
At home it’s easier to recover; at school it might take longer.
When you’re sick at home, you can literally camp out in your room for as long as you need until you start to feel better. You don’t have to see anyone because you have the comforts of your own home. In college, there are people all around you who you can’t really avoid. Whether it’s roommates, sorority sisters, fraternity brothers, RAs, or classmates, there is always someone constantly near you who carries germs of their own. Therefore, sometimes it will take longer for you to recover from being sick with a cold or a fever since you’re continuously exposed to so many different people and other potential germs.
At home you don’t want to do anything; at school you start to feel left out.
Being sick at home is no big deal because you’re not afraid of missing out on anything. You prefer not do anything at all and spend most of your sick days in bed with tea, crackers, and Netflix. In college, there is always something going on and being sick holds you back from fun activities. You start to get jealous of all the activities you can’t attend, so you end up compensating your health just so that you can avoid FOMO (fear of missing out). Even though you may suffer from a cough attack at the bar, it's a risk you are willing to take.
