1. It's finally warm enough to go to the beach!

Whether it is a beach in your home state, or a vacation a plane ride away, this is the warmest time of the year! Its time to get your beach chairs and towels (and don't forget the sunscreen) and trek down to the beach to get your tan on and have fun in the sun.

2. The days are much longer.

When you think the sun is going to set at 5pm as it does in the winter, it is still bright as day out! The sun doesn't even start setting until at least 8pm, which gives you and your friends much more time to do fun things and take advantage of how short summer is to begin with!

3. You get to see your friends from home.

Over the years you will realize that the people you were extremely close with in high school will wander off and your college friends will be the solid friends in your life. Although this may be sad, it is normal, and those who are meant to be in your life will be, I promise. So take advantage of the time you have to see your close friends from home!

4. No school work!

Many of you may be working or taking summer classes but one thing is for sure that you are not forced to do any work! It is summertime which is time for the beach and fun. No need to stress over those classes you need to get done in order to graduate, those will be stresses for the fall time.

5. Time to work.

Many of you may be wondering why this is a good thing, but trust me, it is. It is nice to find an easy going summer job that gives you some extra cash on the side. This will definitely come in handy during the upcoming year of school and you will thank me later, trust me.

6. Time to be spent with family.

School is fun and all but nothing beats family time. It's so nice to get to come home to your family and watch movies and go out to dinner together. These are the times you will be missing when you are away from them at school so take the opportunity to bond with them now so you don't regret it.

7. Home cooked meals (enough said).

There is nothing in life like a nice, warm, home cooked meal. At school all we have are dining halls and Chipotle, and don't get me wrong, Chipotle is great, but nothing beats a nice meal cooked by your mom or dad. Even if it's just burgers on the grill, the fact that it was cooked at home with love makes all the difference in the flavor.

8. Now is the time to travel and visit your friends from school at their homes!
Living down the hall from someone can make you develop an attachment and it feels as if it is a norm. With this being said the transformation to being a 6 hour drive away is very different and a big adjustment. Take this time to visit your friends and let them show you how they live for a few days. Its a fun thing to do and helps the separation anxiety a little bit as the summer flies by.

9. Hometown ice cream places

Nothing beats hometown ice cream, the joints that are only open in the summer. I don't know about you, but these are the places I LIVE for. With their homemade creamy taste that makes you melt at every bite. You can never find that kind of quality from a chain and the warm summer heat only adds to the craving.

10. Driving with the windows down

It really is all about the little things in life. Driving with the windows down, blasting your favorite songs through the streets of your little suburban town that you love to hate and hate to love while you're away at school. Take it all in now, get off the computer & enjoy your summer! :)