Once you're in college, going home feels ... different. It's never the same as it was the 18 consecutive years you spent under that roof prior to your high school graduation. And coming back home to live there for three or four months of summer feels ... very different. I'd argue you even go through a set of stages when home for the summer. And the first stage is one that doesn't last exceptionally long.

1. Excitement.

Friends, home-cooked meals, a room to yourself - oh my! There are luxuries with being home, and having them back is nice for a period of time. Seeing your friends from your hometown is heaven sent, the food not being dining hall style is superb and having a room bigger than an icebox is all great to have readily available. Oftentimes, you now have a car to use, giving access to fun adventures and food options you wouldn't have on campus, either. But this often leads to one quick but surefire turnaround ...

2. Broke.

Despite saving the extra bucks by living with your parents, you still wind up broke. Looking at your bank account is like looking into a black hole. Where did all of it go? Oh, that's right ... food, drinks, gas, concerts, etc. So you try to work around being penniless. But you keep spending. And with all this "fun" you've been having, your parents start to cramp your style every now and then. Causing this ever true next stage known as ...

3. Resentment.

We don't resent our parents, for the record. They provide for us over and over again and deal with our more potty-mouthed and independent selves for the time being. But parents also like to implement and enforce the same rules you had in high school for some reason. And then you end up being 19, 20 years old and yelled at, belittled, and grounded. Suddenly, home is a place where freedom is choked off, and it's not so fun anymore. So, you rebel or fight for your independence. And we all know how that goes at home. Leaving you in a rut – the longest and worst stage ...

4. Boredom.

You're broke. Your job takes over your life. Your free time is spent sleeping because it's the only thing that passes the "what do I want to do today?" test. Home gets boring. Netflix provides some entertainment. Naps are a must. But you can't kick the boredom living at home for the summer has proved. College seemed so fast-paced. Home is now just a lot of a certain lifestyle you aren't used to and dislike acclimating to. It's boring. Which brings us to the final stage of living at home for the summer - one that lingers and kills ...

5. Homesickness.

You realize home = college. And you need to go back. You miss the people and living within walking distance of them. You miss the social events and cheaper lifestyle you could lead there. You miss campus, even right down to the walks to class. You miss having a couple classes over a full work day and time to do what you want; you miss your schedule not being dictated by an employer or a parent. You're homesick for the place that has become your home, as you reside in the place that once was. And to be honest, that's completely OK. I think it'd be a bit scary to not miss school as much as I do on a daily basis. It just shows I picked the right one.

The biggest takeaway from the five stages of living at home for the summer? They're only stages. They'll come and go, and that's the beauty of it. Live the stages through. Because living at home for the summer is very different ... and it's only going to get more different from year to year. So appreciate the excitement of the perks of being home, save money as much as you spend it to reverse the broke-ness, comply with your parents to avoid the resentment of the rules every once in a while, fight the boredom as much as you can by remembering summer's short and know that homesickness for school may become homesickness for your roots soon enough again.