Finally, I finished freshman year of college! While I am still looking forward to the summer ahead, it is much different than the summer I was having a year ago fresh out of high school. It is crazy how life changes during the course of year. I wish I could go back and tell my 18-year-old self to embrace that last summer, but I am grateful for the ways I have grown up since then even if it comes with changes. Here are nine ways summer changes after starting college.
1. No Summer Work
After experiencing the stress of finals week in college, I'm grateful for a break. No more papers, readings, quizzes, or presentations. In high school, I always had summer readings to prepare for a test the second day of school or work to keep me fresh on my knowledge these three months. I don't have to worry again about homework until the school year rolls back around.
2. But LOTS of working in the summer
If you didn't have a job in high school, you'll need to have one in college. A year in college really drains someone's bank account. Plus, you have to make a resume and realize that binge-watching on Netflix does not count as a useful skill. While in high school you could spend days lounging at the pool, you now are taking their food orders. It is not fun, but you have to because...
3. You have no money
All those late night Chipotle trips, impromptu shopping therapy days, and of course the snacks you stacked your dorm with really take a toll on your wallet. In addition, you have to pay for your books and tuition went up. Public education was free in high school and could spend my money on concert tickets and ice cream. Now it goes to a parking permit, books and saving up to study abroad.
4. Sleeping in doesn't happen much
Maybe not everyone has to be at work at 7 a.m. like me, but we definitely don't have the luxury of spending half of our days in bed like we used too. If I don't have to get up for work, I am attempting to have a social life, and on top of that all my family responsibilities.
5. Trying to work off that freshman 15...
My eating habits did not change that much in high school. My parents bought the groceries and cooked my dinners. At college it is so easy to give into the temptations to eat an extra piece of pizza or a pint of ice cream because school is stressful and you deserve it. So now is the time to get back to taking care of yourself and try to reverse the effects from the last school year.
6. Smaller group of friends
You really find out who are your real friends are in college. In high school, you are forced together with the same people every day. Now, it is the people who choose to be in your life that are true friends in the end. It might be one person or three, but they are the ones who will make it worth being home for summer.
7. You actually miss school
That is something you do not even think of saying in high school. Don't get me wrong, I do not miss writing papers or going to my 8 a.m. class. I miss the friendships, the freedom, the new experiences and ideas. It is just not the same when living with your parents and under rules again.
8. More independence
After living on my own I have become way more independent. I no longer need my parents to make my doctor appointments, give me money for gas, or tell me to clean up after myself. I do enjoy home-cooked meals and my parents treat me every once in a while, but I can do fine all on my own. It is a freedom I did not experience as a coddled high schooler.
9. You are thinking past tomorrow
The summer is no longer a time just to relax and release all worries. It is a stepping stone that can benefit your future. Whether you are interning, working, or volunteering, you are preparing yourself for adulthood. The summer is only three months, and opening the doors of opportunities are in reach if you use it to your advantage.
