Summers as a college student have some seriously bittersweet emotions attached to them. While it is an absolutely fantastic thing to be able to have two places where you love spending your time, this truth can also cause a rollercoaster of emotions. Personally, I love my life while at home for the summer. I am so thankful for my hometown friends and there are few things I enjoy more than exploring my hometown of Cleveland with pure summer vibes. However, I also love my life while at school. Being able to love two separate lives and call them both my own is such a privilege, and this situation inevitably causes many intense and conflicting emotions.

On one hand, there are so many incredible perks of going back to school. Hopefully, we all love the place where we are gaining our higher education degree. Living at school and returning to campus means returning to your friends and your family away from your family. I miss my school friends so very much over the summer and I am so pumped to get back to spending every hour with them. Additionally, the freedom that accompanies college is truly fantastic. Being able to do anything we please at any moment without having to ask permission, even if it is simply going to your friend's room to watch a movie together, is such a fantastic freedom. I love living as an independent adult and look forward to returning to this lifestyle.

On the flip side, there are many downsides to summer coming to a close. I cannot deny that I am in love with my life in good ol' North Royalton. I love my friends and family here, and I love the fun times I have while home. Similarly, and I think we can all agree when I say this, I enjoy the lack of responsibilities while home for the summer. Schoolwork is left behind and alarm clocks are turned off for us lucky ones over the summer and being home feels like a true summer vacation. In my opinion, summer is by far the best season with its sunshine vibes and I will truly miss these amazing summer times.

Although there are many pros and cons to leaving home and returning to school after summer comes to a close, I love the fact that I am lucky enough to have two separate lives that I enjoy so much. Happiness without a doubt correlates with the people around us and I am constantly thankful for the amazing people both at home and at Xavier. Despite the stress of juggling sleep, social life, and studying, I can't wait to go back to school and reminisce on my summer vibes while simultaneously looking forward to returning home and reliving this cycle all over again.