Summer on campus has always seemed like the way to go in my opinion. It’s just like being at school but with no (or at least fewer) classes, giving you time to do more of the fun stuff that comes along with being a college student. It appears to have no flaws, however, this year I opted to go back home for the summer.

Simply, I missed home. After my freshman year of college, I dreaded leaving and going back home for another three months, but this time around could not be more different.

I still love and enjoy college just as I did before, I’ve just learned to appreciate home a little bit more.

They say that “distance makes the heart go fonder,” which really did ring true to me this year. As much as I was enjoying my life on campus, I couldn’t wait to come back to my old stomping grounds.

I will be starting my junior year in the fall, and as things pick up I’m not sure how much time I’ll be able to spend in my hometown over the coming years.

While the future is open to many exciting possibilities, it could mean that I will be spending future summers somewhere else. There's something comforting about coming home for the summer before my life gets too hectic for it to be possible. It gives me one last chance to spend more time with family, catch up with old friends or explore a new part of my city that I’ve never been to before.

This summer, I will be focused on making more memories of my hometown to carry with me later in life. Although I’m sure I’ll be back, I’ll be older, and coming home will be a different experience. It will be more about catching up with those I’ve missed instead of just relishing in being back at the place where I grew up.

This summer I’ll let my parents boss me around a little (but not too much,) eat dinner with the family and allow myself to live a little more like a kid and less like an independent adult. And I can’t wait.