For a wide majority of college students, the end of the spring semester is characterized by an impatient craving for summer break. Whether it's a desperate desire to return home or simply to be done with schoolwork for a while, these three months are treated as the undeniable source of freedom. However, after the joy of getting to catch up on sleep loses its initial excitement and you've seen all the friends you had planned on seeing, what else is left? Is summer really all that exciting in comparison to the school year?
I think the answer varies for each person. The biggest perk, as previously stated, is the ability to sleep. I mean really sleep without the concern of having to wake up for class or to study. The freedom to utilize time however you please is incredibly relieving. During the fall and spring semesters, most days are routine. I myself feel that I'm not even really present during school days because I'm just moving through every event or class on my calendar until I can finally sleep. Summer permits us all to be as lazy as we want, or go where we want, and see who we want.
The pros of summer are wonderful, but there are quite a few cons. At the end of the day, I feel infinitely less productive. On campus, I could go to bed at night having worked a few hours, done homework, begun studying for an upcoming test, having worked out, and maybe even sneaked in an hour or two of Netflix. Now that I'm at home, the days I don't spend with friends typically end in lying on the couch watching Food Network or playing video games on my laptop for too many hours to admit.
We hype up summer to be this glorious time and, perhaps for those who get to go on exotic trips or have the internships of their lives, it is. But for the rest of us who simply hang out at home or with friends or maybe have a part-time job, it isn't nearly as lively as campus-life. I miss the excitement of the school year and maybe I'm ridiculous for taking our time of respite for granted.
For those of you out there who also are bored with the summer, go find something to fill your time. Create a goal or start a fun project, and I'll be sure to do the same.