Leaving for college can be an exciting time. It's full of learning experiences, new encounters, and more independence than any bright-eyed 18-year-old has ever tasted before. However, there are some things about college life that are definitively less glamorous than living at home. Here's a list of 11 things college students miss about home that they didn't realize they would.
1. The good toilet paper
Imagine having the soft, plush kind of toilet paper your mom buys instead of the see-through tissue-paper that's standard in all university buildings. Too bad Charmin costs $20 a pack.
2. Unrestricted access to a car
If you want to get somewhere in college you'd better be prepared to pay for it or sacrifice your freedom to have someone else drive you.
3. A fridge full of food (that you don't have to buy)
Nothing says "Welcome to Adulthood" like going to the grocery store and actually having to make good decisions.
4. Good water pressure in the showers
Dorm life is a serious downgrade.
5. Your favorite hometown hangout spot
If you're anything like me, you have some awesome places in your hometown that you just can't live without. You end up missing places almost as much as you miss the people from home.
6. Your parents paying for everything
College gets really expensive, really fast, especially when you start paying for things (like shampoo) that your parents have been buying for the last 18+ years.
7. Your high school friends
Even though you start drifting apart, there's still something meaningful about all the time you spent together;.
8. Your siblings
You love 'em. You hate 'em. And you love to hate 'em. But when college starts and you're away, the separation anxiety hits hard.
9. Your home
Whether it's the house you grew up in or one you've moved to, you'll miss the physical space of having somewhere to come home to (until your dorm becomes your home, of course).
10. Specific foods from your hometown/state
You know that one restaurant back home that isn't even particularly special but doesn't exist in your college town? You'll crave it every time you're away and then have no appetite for it when you make it home.
11. Your bed
The feeling of crawling into your own bed on your first night back home after being away at college is like nothing you've ever felt before.
While there will certainly be days where you miss home more than you should, college is an incredible opportunity filled with so many things to do and new people to meet. You'll be able to create your own memories so that you'll miss your hometown while you're away at school and you'll miss your college town when you go home.
