Due to unfortunate experiences during my freshmen year of college, I started counting down the days until graduation. Fast forward to present time, I am DREADING crossing the stage to receive my diploma in May. Weird, I know – but let me explain why.

Follow below to see what I NEVER thought I’d miss about college:

1. 8:00 a.m. classes

I know – this is such a weird thing to miss! Being that I graduated a semester early, I now have a full-time job - which I love! - but, getting ready to go to a full-time job for 8:00 AM is MUCH different than rolling out of bed to head to an 8:00 AM class that only lasts two hours.

Basically, I miss showing up to an early morning class in sweatpants versus waking up early to properly dress myself - and brush my hair (insert eye rolling emoji) - to be sitting at my desk at 8:00 AM.

2. Spring/winter break

I'm confused, so I don’t get a month in the winter off, or a week in spring off?

YUP, nothing like a warm welcome to adult life by realizing you no longer get extended breaks to do literally nothing, but of course fret about all the school work you have to catch up on.

3. NAPS!

I consider myself a professional napper, and by a “nap” I don’t mean a quick 30-minute snooze, I mean a solid 2-3-hour nap (which most people just call it sleep at that point, but whatever).

No longer being a student means that I don’t have a random 4-hour gap between classes to eat junk food and catch up on sleep, due to pulling an all-nighter because I had school work to finish.

4. Learning

I know this may sound silly because you can learn doing almost anything – but I really miss being in a classroom setting where I am surrounded by people who enjoy learning about the same topics I do.

While at times, it felt stressful to load my brain with information that at times felt useless, I truly miss being a part of an academic learning environment.

5. The Anthropology Department

I saved the best for last!

I wish I could be a lifelong student just because I love the professors/faculty in the Anthropology department at Rhode Island College that much! Being surround by people who love geeking out on the latest news regarding cultural anthropology, medical anthropology, and/or environmental news is so very satisfying.

Not to mention, the department is just filled with awesome people who support you in every way.