As the days start to get shorter and the nights cooler, students across the country attempt to once again pack almost everything they own into a few suitcases and make the trip back to their designated universities.
The start of school marks the time when incoming freshman get their first dose of complete freedom and upperclassmen reunite with their groups of friends, sororities, fraternities, and sports teams. Despite your class rank or where you’re heading off to for school, we all have one thing in common to say to the past few months: THANK YOU SUMMER.
Thank you summer for bringing me home to reunite with my family, my hometown friends, and of course- my bed. Even though 24/7 texting and weekly Facetime dates can sometimes feel like enough to stay updated on everyone’s lives, nothing can compare to actually getting that hug from your best friend or having dinner with your entire family at one table. The time you’ve spent away at school can truly make you realize how much you appreciate the small town you grew up in, your high school friends that went through breakups and prom nights with you, and especially your family- the people that you’ve most likely taken for granted the past 18 years. Yes, it can be hard to be taken away from your new life and new friends at school but there’s nothing that compares to finally eating at that restaurant you’ve been craving or sleeping in your own bed.
Thank you summer for letting me be lazy and binge-watch Netflix all day. While there’s a hiatus of classes and you have few other responsibilities, what better way to spend your time than finishing multiple seasons of Grey’s Anatomy or Parks and Rec? Let’s be real, who has time during the school year to actually sit down and continuously watch episode after episode of their favorite show. Most students are too busy juggling classes, homework, social events, friends, campus involvements, and trying to fit naps in somewhere to actually tell Netflix- yes, I am still watching. Summer is a sacred time for college students because you know that even if you watch episode after episode- it’s okay. Most likely everyone else is doing it too…
Thank you summer for finally giving me a full night of sleep. We all know that being a college student gives you the freedom to make your own schedules and not have a curfew- it also takes away those beautiful full nights of sleep that you used to get. Most people will say that it’s our fault we don’t sleep enough because we go out too much; but not all of those late nights are spent in dark, sweaty frat houses- many of those nights were actually spent either in the library or at our desks trying to do what we were actually sent to college to do- study. Why do young adults love summer so much? It let’s us catch up on our sleep. So please, next time you come across a sleeping college student do not disturb them- they most likely haven’t slept that long since high school.
Thank you summer for giving me all those hours to work and make money. No, seriously, thank you. Now there’s enough money in my bank account for me to go back to school and blow it all on food and other questionable purchases! All college kids hate working; it’s just not how anyone wants to spend their summer days. But, even though everyone hates it, we’re all grateful that we did put in those hours when we’re nearing Thanksgiving and still have more than $5.31 in our bank accounts. So truly summer, thank you for that one!
While everyone is diving right back into classes and hopefully getting into the swing of things for the new school year, they’re also most likely filling in their friends about the past few months. Even though everyone doesn’t always have the same great summer as they might have seen another girl on Snapchat or Instagram having, each and every person should have one thing to thank summer for. Summer finally needs to be recognized for all of the great things it offers- so go out and write your own thank you letter to summer!
