I'm sure most of you know the feeling of waking up to a sore throat in the morning, and a sore throat is a precursor to being sick. And of course, I got sick. On my birthday.

Everyone's been telling me to drink hot water, but all I've been doing is chugging hot water (not really chugging), and it's not working. I tell myself that I don't need to take medicine because I'll get drowsy and fall asleep face flat when I'm studying (maybe that's why I'm still sick). Simply put, being sick in college is not fun.

Being sick in college and being sick at home is NOT the same. Normally, I recover from a cold or the flu within four to five days, maybe a week if it's bad if I'm at home. But since I'm not, I am currently still sick, and it's been a whole two weeks. I attribute my prolonged recovery period to the dining hall food and being in close proximity to other cold and flu victims.

At home, my parents would make me food that was bland but aided in my recovery and kept all fried and oily foods away from me. On campus, I'm surrounded by overly salted french fries and mystery meat that I assume is chicken. I try to stray away from anything that is fried and oily when I'm sick, but come on, when you see chicken wings on the late-night dinner menu, how could you not go (especially if there's buffalo and barbecue sauce)?

When I'm on campus, I don't have my mom pestering me to layer up even though it's not that cold yet. I'm the type to get even sicker when I'm cold, and because Long Island weather constantly switches up on me, I never know how to dress for the occasion. I tend to always underestimate the weather and forget that wind is a thing, so I guess still being sick is partially my fault.

When I'm at home when I'm sick, I stay at home and get all the rest possible. Here, I have to attend lectures where I'm exposed to coughs, sneezes, and whatever else there may be. I feel as if I've recovered after three to four days of being sick, but then it comes back again with a vengeance as soon as I step outside of my dorm.

Not to mention that there's the stress that comes along with endless midterms and assignments that I never knew even existed.

So, the moral of the story is to not get sick in college... says the person who is sick while typing this.