Going back to school at the end of the summer can be bittersweet. I am so ready to get back on the volleyball court with my teammates, live with my best friends, be back with basically nobody to answer to, and reunite with all the people I love. However, having summers like mine makes it hard to go back to school.

This summer I've gotten the amazing opportunity to travel all over the country. I got to go to the west coast to Seattle, to an island in Alabama, and to New York City where my brother lives. In each place, I got to experience so many new things in each place that were probably once in a life time chances. Getting to travel and having all the free time in the world makes me not want to go back to school where I will have a strict schedule. School is not the place that I can just pick up and leave campus anytime I want. I love being at school with my friends, but I do, also, love having the freedom and lack of responsibility that summer provides.

However, I get to go back to school with free meals, best friends, and no parents. Sorry mom and dad, I love you all, but I really love college. Being 20 is great, because my mom always tell me that it's the time where I get to worry about me. I don't have to answer to anyone else or take care of anyone other than myself, and my 20's are the perfect time to do all that. This is the time where I get to figure out who I am and school really helps me with that. I get to find out the kind of person I am when I can't call my dad to do every single hard thing for me, I have to cry alone in my room instead of in my mom's bed, or I have to choose between going out with my friends or staying in to study. School is the perfect place to put my character to the test and really define myself, on my own with no help.

Not only is school a great place to find me, it is the best place to find those life long friends. High school friends are great and I will always cherish those people, but the people you meet in college are the best! Being away from mom and dad, you have to find those people to eat meals with, cry with, complain to, ask favors from, and just enjoy life with. College hands you those amazing people and it clearly presents you with people that lessons can be learned from.

All around, college is great, but being home is such a good feeling. While I am ready to be back at school, saying goodbye to summer sounds so awful.