Like most college students, I stressed over finals and was rewarded with a month of break. Now as my break comes to a close I am drawn to the differences in college breaks versus high school breaks.

In high school, I had between one and two weeks of break. Although there were holidays and even some parties in this time off, usually my high school teachers would assign homework and projects that would be due just after the break, thus requiring me to do extensive amounts of work. These remained in the back of my mind while I would be trying to recover during the time off. It only escalated in my senior year, and with college application deadlines approaching quickly, the break became just a time slot to finish them off. Even though the time was indeed revitalizing, I always felt like its end was right around the corner.

In college, however, I had around one month off after a somewhat harrowing week of finals. My semester had also ended so I had no work and therefore no worries. With this in mind, my break did feel somewhat rushed. There were so many people, who I had not seen in months, that I wanted to catch up with, as well as a list of activities that I wanted to accomplish before I left.

When I came back for the first time, my childhood home seemed smaller, almost as if I had outgrown it. My parents' conversations suddenly seemed more interesting and old high school drama seemed almost petty. I soon discovered that all my long nights studying for tests and tiresome mornings taking notes for lectures had turned me into a person that strived for intellectual challenges. As I started packing to head back, I realized that I had not unpacked from my arrival. Although I will always be sad to leave my family and the safety of home, I know now that mentally I am ready for the new semester and everything else my life will bring.