On Friday, February 5, 2016, I experienced my first snowstorm during school hours while being a college student. The night before, I knew it was coming, so I was mentally going through my pre-snow day routine. Will I need to finish my homework for tomorrow? What time should I expect school to be cancelled? Will this be the perfect day to build a snowman?
Wait…
I’m in college. Snow days aren’t really a thing at most colleges, especially at private colleges.
At that moment, I turned to Yik Yak where I saw a bunch of hopefuls like myself asking what the chances were that our school would be cancelled. I also saw them being immediately shut down by their peers who said that our school only closes for State of Emergency storms. I lost all hope.
When I was in high school, I never really considered how different snowstorms would be in college. For high school students, they get to chill at home, play in the snow, and most likely catch up on AP homework. I definitely spent my last few snow storms while in high school doing homework, which is kind of a shame looking back on it.
I used to imagine what snow days at college would be like. Students would sled down the hills with their buds. They would get to roam around a giant, snowy campus all day. They would even get to have massive snow ball fights. It was going to be awesome.
Fast forward to the present day, I was trekking through the icy paths, snow blowing into my face, and me trying not to be late for my 9:00 AM lecture. This was not what I was anticipating. I got to enjoy the random snow storms of two inches on the weekends more than this legitimate storm.
We got about a foot of snow during this day, which was about the same amount that my hometown received. The difference was that their school was cancelled and our college was not. I remembered being frustrated when high school wouldn’t be cancelled for a couple of inches and that the paths to the school were icy despite being salted. Then at college, I practically skated on a sheet of ice that didn’t have a trace of salt on it while rushing to my classes.
I have definitely enjoyed some snow at college, but I guess a snowy school day didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe next time, it’ll snow on the weekend, and I’ll be able to enjoy it with my roommates and friends.
