Spring semester is a struggle to get through with the knowledge that summer break is right around the corner. But one the last final is over, every college student breathes a sigh of relief and starts to relax for the summer. Once you've adjusted out of school mode, that's when you know for sure that you're in summer mode.
1. You have a new schedule
With classes five days a week, plus extracurriculars and a job, during the school year, college students are busy. Even if you're working 40 hours a week during the summer, odds are you have a different schedule. Even if it's sleeping until noon, or waking up at 8 AM for a job, you can tell that it's different than school and that's what matters.
2. You're not focused on classes
If you're not taking classes over the summer, then you don't have to worry about papers, exams and deadlines. It's nice to be able to take a break where you don't have to worry about your academics for a few months.
3. You're not checking your email
During breaks, there is less of a need to check emails because there are less important emails than during the school year. Being able to not need to send emails or check for important ones often is a nice feeling.
4. You feel like you have more free time
Even if you're working more than normal, during the summer it seems like you have more time to do things because you have fewer responsibilities overall. You might make more plans or your days might feel like they're longer, which is nice because you feel like you have more time to get things done over the summer.
5. You're not ready to go back
If you're really in summer mode, then the thought of going back to school isn't an enjoyable one. It's nice to have a break, and when you're on a break, you're never really ready to go back into full school mode.
6. You miss your school friends
The hardest part of summer in college is the fact that you either go home for the summer, or your friends do. Either way, the people that you normally spend time with during the year tend to go their separate ways. Summer break means that you're going to have people that you want to spend time with but just can't.
7. You're spending more time with friends from home
If you go home for the summer, hopefully, your friends do too. And if they do, you're going to spend time with them because you haven't seen them all year and they're people who you want to spend time with when you can.
8. You're doing local things
Every city has something that defines the summer experience. Especially if you're from a small town, you only have a couple of things that you can do over the summer, so you will be doing these things if you want to have something to do and have an enjoyable summer.
9. You actually have time to do things like sleeping and eating
During the school year, some things like sleeping and eating end up happening less frequently than they should. During the summer, most people sleep and eat more, which is good to make up for what they miss during the school year. Sleeping and eating are two of my favorite things to do, so getting to do more of each over the summer is exciting.
10. You're doing your usual summer activities
For some people, the summer is defined by going to the beach or the pool and getting to work on their summer tan. Whatever you normally do, whenever you get to start doing what defines your summer is when the break really starts to feel real.
11. You're giving up on your to-do list
Every summer, I create a to-do list that I want to accomplish by the end of the break, but normally after a couple of weeks, I give up on accomplishing what I had planned. Normally, I fully relax once I give up on the to-do list.