I’m thankful to be able to say that I truly love being at school. I love the fact that I live just down the hall from my friends. I like that at any time I can find someone to hang out with or something to do. I enjoy the freedom of being able to go where I want when I want. I love being a part of a community here and participating in groups where I feel like I really belong. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t like being home.

I feel like a lot of people, especially freshmen, feel pressured to make it seem like there’s no place they’d rather be than school. That’s great if you feel that way, but it’s good to love home, too, and there’s definitely nothing wrong with acknowledging that. As fall break is coming up in just a few days, I’m more than ready to admit that I’m looking forward to going home. There are some things about home that you just can’t find anywhere else.

I love the home cooked meals.

In high school, I totally took for granted the fact that my mom cooked dinner every night. However, despite the fact that I go to a school that has pretty good food, I miss the home cooked meals delivered right to the dining room table.

I love being with my family.

Although my mom claims that I miss my dog more than her, I really enjoy getting to spend time with my parents. When I’m at school, I miss our Sunday-night-pizza-and-movie night tradition and just hanging out together.

I love cuddling with my dog.

So I may not miss my dog more than my parents, but I definitely do miss him. There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when you walk in your front door and your dog comes racing to greet you.

I love sleeping in my own bed.

The twin XL beds do the job, but my double bed at home with its memory foam pad feels like heaven after a couple months of sleeping on my bed at school. It’s also not four feet in the air, so I don’t have to worry about falling off and breaking my neck at night.

I love seeing my friends.

I was lucky enough to make a lot of great friends at school, but I still miss my friends from home. It’s always exciting to be able to catch up with them and hear about what their life at school is like.

I love my town.

I was fortunate enough to be raised in a pretty amazing town (shout out to my Naperville readers), and it always feels good to be back. I look forward to going to my favorite restaurants and stores downtown with my friends or family, and even just being able to walk around in the place I know best.

I really feel privileged because it really is the best of both worlds. So keep in mind that looking forward to going home doesn’t make you weak or mean that you’re unhappy at school. After all, it’s possible to be happy in more than one place. However, although I know it sounds cliché, there really isn’t any place like home.