1. Seeing your dog/cat/pet:

We should just be honest with ourselves and start here. Of course, you miss your family, but there is just something about your pet that makes you miss them more, even if it is just a little.

I mean, you can talk to your family whenever, but other than the random Facetimes with your mom where she cannot quite get the camera to actually be on your pet, you can’t talk to them! Besides, your pet practically radiates pure joy when they see you and can barely contain their emotions. Name a better feeling… I’ll wait.

2. Seeing your family:

Here we go. I’m not just talking about your brothers and sisters, I’m talking about your grandparents all the way to your 4th cousin twice removed. Everyone wants to see you. Although you have to sit through the dreaded questions about grades, love interests, extracurricular activities, at least you most likely get a good dinner out of it!

3. Showering in your own shower:

If someone had said that I would miss showering in my own shower this time last year, I would’ve completely blown it off. Psshh yeah, I like to shower but a shower is a shower. WRONG. A shower is not your shower.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I like to lean on the wall, maybe even sit on the floor, and definitely not wear shoes. All of these seem simple enough, but not in community showers, those tasks are simply not permitted. Needless to say, I miss it.

4. Sleeping in your own bed:

This one seems obvious enough. But, if you’re like me, you have kind of brainwashed yourself into thinking the bed in your dorm room was actually pretty comfortable. This façade holds until you actually touch your bed at home. Even if you didn’t think it was that comfortable before leaving for college, when you come home, your bed is heaven and you never want to leave.

5. Home cooked meals:

Okay, this is really important. Even if somehow your cafeteria food isn’t terrible or you have nice restaurants around you, there is nothing like eating food that your mom makes you. Maybe it is because you actually know where its coming from, or maybe it’s just made with more love, but whatever it is makes a major difference and that is not up for debate.

6. No community bathroom:

Again, this has to do with the shower thing. There is nothing like your own bathroom. I don’t know about you, but I prefer to keep my business to myself and playing music on your phone when you’re trying to go number two starts to get really old after a while.

7. Being able to drive:

Something that I never really thought I would miss was driving. I miss the freedom to go wherever without having to rely on others. I miss going on drives when I am upset or just need time to think. I miss driving around with my friends blasting music. I guess I never realized how much I relied on my car time, but now I definitely do!

8. Seeing your friends from home:

After spending time apart, seeing your friends from home is like your pet seeing you when you first come home: happiness. Even if your friends sometimes get on your nerves or if you talk in your group chat every day, the reunion is so much fun. There are certain stories and new experiences that you can only convey face to face and this reunion is the most perfect, yet chaotic, time to catch up.

9. Getting nails/hair/eyebrows/everything done:

Being home means getting your ish together. After weeks of being away, it is hard to keep up with all of your typical beauty regimens, even if you’ve done it a couple times here and there over the course of the semester. A plus about waiting until you get home is that maybe your mom will want to come, and maybe even chip in when it comes time to pay… every penny counts!

10. Not living in the same room as your roommate(s):

Finally, even if you get along wonderfully with your roommate(s), time apart is welcomed with open arms. I don’t care if you are bffs, lads or long lost sisters, living with someone is tough. Even if you share your room at home with a sibling or two, listening to something without headphones, leaving a shirt on the floor, or going to bed and waking up at whatever time you want, is magical.

Of course, you can do all of this with your roommate(s), but you always run into the risk of annoying them or just being obnoxious. With a sibling, they’ll get over it, they have no choice but to love you.