As high school students, we were excited about summer, it meant we didn't have to go to school, and we could stay up late, which didn't matter because we could sleep all day if we wanted to. As a college student, we don't really get those freedoms anymore. And now I couldn't dread summer more.

It is great to go back home and be with my family, especially because I go to school on the other side of my state, what isn't great, is that to pay for my schooling I need to work a full time job and try to pick up as many shifts/odd jobs as I can to make sure I can survive the next school year, just in case I am unable to get a job there.

My entire summer, as well as many other college students, is focused around working just to pay for crippling tuition costs.

In high school, we worked for spending money, but in college, even after putting money away in savings, spending money doesn't exist.

Not only do many of us college students have to work for the entirety of our summer (like most people who have begun their careers), we no longer get to be with friends that we grew close to. Whether that be in classes or in dorms. In many cases for college students, they no longer have friends from their high schools, so when they go home, all they have is their family and work. Not entirely a bad thing, but it is tough to see your old friends, or current friends, having a good time when you are working around the clock.

The "FOMO" is real.

Sadly, now that we have to be responsible adults, we can't see summer as the time of our lives, now, we see it as just as stressful/anxiety-inducing. There are so many "what if's" as a college student, what if I can't find a job? What if I don't save enough money for first month's rent? How am I going to pay tuition if I don't sacrifice my physical and mental state just to work? And what if I lose all my friends?

Don't let that ruin your summer, remember that you are putting school first and that always will help you in the end.

Although summer sounds harsh to many college students, it does have positives. We get to be with our family's and our pets. I personally am not financially stable enough to bring my pets to college with me, so I really value the time I get to have with them while I'm home. We can actually take our minds off of school and our classes for a small amount of time. We may still worry about how to pay for tuition.

But over the summer we aren't worrying about our deadlines for assignments or midterms/finals. So even if you're working this summer, try to enjoy it. It may suck, but that work that you put in will eventually get you ahead.