It’s not going to hit you at first. College is great, everything is new: your room, your things, the people around you, and the things you do.

But one day, you’ll find yourself thinking of your parents, their hugs, and their constant smiles and encouragement. You’ll miss the home cooked meals, the nagging to know how your day went and what you learned, the comfort of knowing that no matter how bad your day was, you could always count on them to make you feel better.

One day, you’ll find yourself missing your siblings. You’ll miss having people you know will always love you no matter how much you annoy them. You’ll miss the little fights, the clothes stealing, and the battles for the front seat.

You’ll find yourself thinking of the last time you and your best friends were all together, the last time you shared a laugh. You’ll find yourself reminiscing of football games and late night drives. You’ll miss the classes you had with them that you thought you hated. You’ll find yourself craving their company, wanting to be together one last time.

You’ll find yourself missing the sport you played, even though you thought you hated it. You’ll miss having practice every day, the way you felt after winning a game, and the comfort of knowing your team always had your back. You never thought you’d miss it; after all, you counted down the days until it ended. But one day you’ll think of the last game, the last practice, and you’ll realize you’ll never feel that way again.

You’ll look at pictures and think of all the good times you had, and realize you can’t ever get them back, because as fast as they came they went. You’ll wonder why you ever even begged time to go faster.

That’s when, even if it’s only for a little bit, college might feel as foreign as it felt the very first day.