We are asked it every time we state our age. The question arises at every job interview. A day does not go by that someone does not ask me: Where do you go to school? Followed by my answer, “University of North Carolina… Wilmington,” and everyone is always jealous. They are jealous because we go to class every day with the option of heading to the beach after. Some people might hang out at club Randall, but I prefer my books on the beach. Anyone who says that the beach had nothing to do with their college decision is lying. However, with every perk of this wonderful lifestyle we are living there are just a couple of downfalls.

They do not cancel class because it is a good beach day.

Here I am sitting in class in February and it is 70 degrees. out. I know that this class goes until 3:15 p.m. and considering that the sun sets before six this only allows me 45 minutes to walk back to the dorms, pack my bag, and drive to the beach if I want a couple of hours at the beach.

We also never have snow days.

If it was bad enough that they do not cancel school for days when it is really warm, we also never actually get snow, so we don’t get snow days either. This semester alone there have already been at least two days where every other college in the state didn’t have school, but we toughed it through the cold and rain.

Walking to class anytime when it is over 70 is like walking through hell.

When leaving in the morning jeans and a long sleeved shirt with boots sounded like a great idea. Now it is 2 p.m. and I have to make the dreaded walk back to the dorms. By the time I finally get back I look like I just worked out for two hours and have to go change.

My car permanently has sand in it.

I am not sure if this is a bad thing, but I feel like I am constantly apologizing for the large amount sand in my trunk and embedded in my back seat. I think that long after I am finished at UNCW I will still notice the sand in the cracks in my car. Mostly it will just remind me of all of my wonderful beach days, but for the time being the sand is becoming a bit much.

Starting next month, it is Vacation Central.

Here in a couple of weeks our cute town is about to be flooded with vacationers. We will see our fair share of Hawaiian shirts, fanny packs, and oversized cameras. Suddenly, we will begin to need to make reservations at our favorite restaurants, and no longer will parking be free at the beach. However, on the bright side that means that it is about to be tanning weather, and we might as well start claiming our favorite beach spots now.

OK, so maybe it isn’t a coastal college nightmare. Considering it took several hours to think of five issues with coastal colleges, it goes to show you that coastal colleges are the best. Whether you attend college in California, Florida, South Carolina, or North Carolina, if you can go to the beach at least nine months out of the year, then you are doing it right. None of us even needs to plan expensive vacations to tropical locations because well… we already live there. Our lives are the punchline of every country song. We have nothing to really complain about because, well, everyone is snowed in and freezing, and we are sitting on the beach where it is sunny and 75 degrees.