Summer is here, but many college students choose to stay in their college town to take classes, work, etc.
Some may do it simply for the thrill of living on their own for the first time away from their families. What is interesting about college towns is that they are just that- a college town.
When students leave for break, they take all the college out of the town and leave it a ghost town instead. All that is left are the few of us who are still living in this abandoned town that was once populated by thousands of students. There are many perks as well as downers to living in a college town in the summer. It all really depends on the attitude you choose to have.
Here are just a few pros and cons to take into consideration.
Cons:
The campus is a ghost town.
Like I’ve said, it is the same town, only with a few less thousand inhabitants.
Where my friends at?
Most friends have gone home for the summer like a normal college student. Hopefully you still have people to hang out with, or else you are in for a lonely few months
Missing family and hometown friends.
Even though living on your own is exciting, you will still miss being with your family and hanging out with your old high school friends.
Missing your hometown.
You couldn’t wait to get away after high school, but you will always have a place in your heart for your hometown.
Pros:
Shorter lines at all your fav restaurants.
That’s right, the Sharkey’s line is manageable even at prime hours.
Time to actually explore the city.
Without all day classes and (major) pressing assignments, you actually have time to explore! You can visit all those cute downtown places everyone talks about, or venture to unknown territory.
New friends!
Hang out and get to know the people taking the same May-mester as you that you wouldn't usually hang out with during the semester. Making new friends is always fun, and it will make your summer much more enjoyable.
No traffic.
If your college town is small like Abilene, this was never much of a problem. Even so, it’s still nice to have less traffic. And finding parking on campus is a breeze.
For me, staying in my college town over the summer is helping to prepare me for my future career. Although I miss sleeping in and hanging out on the lake all day, I enjoy being independent and able to create my own daily schedule.
I have learned to be self motivated and handle my responsibilities on my own. Maybe “growing up” isn’t so bad after all. It’s scary but exciting, and simply just a part of life!
