No matter how old you are, everyone knows the struggle of the school year dragging on. However, every year, there's one incentive to the end of school. That incentive is summer. I think I can speak for nearly everyone when I say that summer is one of the best times of the year. There's time to sleep in, hang out with your friends in the wee hours of the night and basically have no responsibilities until school starts back up in the fall. Well, since graduating high school, I realized that summer isn't the same anymore. There's certain things about being in college that make summer a little less "fun."

First, summer is a great time to catch up or get ahead on college credits. It's always a good idea in the long run to take summer classes, no matter how terrible they actually are. I'm currently enrolled in a summer Chemistry class on Monday's and Wednesday's from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. After my first year of college, I could barely make it through an hour and fifteen minute class, let alone a three hour lecture and a three hour lab. Another thing that comes with summer classes is stress. It's more or less summer school, so there's homework, Powerpoints, and exams. Granted, summer classes tend to be more laid back and a little less difficult than classes during the school year, but the fact of the matter is, it's still class.

Second, if you're not taking classes, or even if you are, you're also working. I've had the same two jobs for the past two summers. I work at the swimming pool in town as a concessions and slides worker, and I also mow anywhere from four to six yards in my neighborhood. Working in the summer is extremely important for college kids because when the fall comes, a lot of us have to help pay for our schooling, which isn't anywhere close to cheap. On top of having to pay for school, we also need extra spending money to go out with friends or whatever it is that you might be interested in.

Lastly, in the summer, all you want to do is sleep and spend time with your friends. When you're taking classes and working almost every day, it's hard to do what you actually want to do. My oldest brother told me, "Have fun with your friends this summer, because this might be the last summer that you're at home." Ever since he told me that, I've thought about it every day. It makes me realize that even though there's things that we need to do to accomplish our future goals, we shouldn't take time away from our friends and family because they're the ones who you know and love best. Summer isn't the same anymore and it probably won't be ever again.