Summer is a time to throw away all responsibilities, have no care in the world, and constantly be with friends, right? Wrong. As much as I’d like to tell you that summer in college is a time to come home and pretend like you don’t have to worry about anything except getting a good tan and hanging out with friends, I can’t. However, I will tell you all of the honest truths about summer as a college student:
1. You have to wake up earlier than you do during school.
Although that alarm for your 9:30 class may have been dreaded all school year, you’ll definitely miss it during the summer when your 6 a.m. alarm goes off for work. In the past, summer has been the time where you catch up on sleep and sleep in until noon every day. Unfortunately, things have definitely changed; now you’re an adult who is working that 8-4 job (or internship). So long, summer days of sleeping in, and hello summer days of waking up at the crack of dawn.
2. Forget those four-day weeks.
One of my favorite things about college is not having Friday classes. That extra weekend day does wonders for recovering and having time to complete everything you need to get done. But while working your summer job, you are now on the real-world schedule, meaning Monday through Friday every week. So while summer in the past has been known as a time where you are working less and relaxing more than during the school year, you are now living in a summer where you are working more and relaxing less.
3. Motivation goes out the door.
Due to the fact that you’re waking up earlier and working more than you have been for the past nine months, you’re going to be a little (and by a little, I mean A LOT) more tired than usual. You have all these plans in your head that you’re going to hang out with all of your friends after work and work out every single day when you get home, but the truth is, you’re going to be exhausted. When you get home from work or have any free time at all, the only thing you’re going to want to do is lay down and relax.
4. You lose a piece of your independence.
After being away for nine months, coming home to spend the entire summer with family has its ups and downs. Obviously, I love the fact that I am able to see my family every day and spend lots of time with them, but going from living on your own to coming back to living under your parent’s roof can be difficult in some aspects. For example, you have to remember to always inform them on what your plans are, where you are going, and whom you are with, as opposed to just making plans on the fly and coming and going as you please.
5. Separation from your college friends sucks.
Coming home to all of my hometown friends and having a couple of months to catch up and spend time with them is one of the best parts of coming home for summer. That being said, if you’re like me, you live decently far away from all of your college friends. After living with and/or seeing your college friends almost every day for nine months, going weeks at a time without seeing them is be extremely hard. You’re going to make time to meet up and see them during the summer of course, but it’s not the same as it is up at school, and not being with your college friends over the summer sucks.
Whereas summer before college was a beautiful three-month break where you got to sit back, relax, and have the time of your life with all of your friends, summer in college is now a time where you get a three-month trial of what it’s like to live in the real world. That being said, summer is still a time with beautiful weather where you come home and spend time catching up with family and old friends. Although summer will unfortunately never be as carefree and relaxing as it once was, summer in college is still a time to take a break from your life away at college and rejuvenate for the next nine months of your college experience.
