Why I Don't Want To Go Back To College | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Why I Don't Want To Go Back To College

Because who wants summer vacation to end?

3538
Why I Don't Want To Go Back To College
unsplash.com

A the final days of August draw near, an excited buzz begins to form around college students. While the new freshmen are eager to meet their roommates, move into their dorms, finally move away from their parents roofs, and start this new chapter in their lives, the sophomores, juniors, and seniors are excited to return to what has so quickly become their second home. They count the days until they are reunited with their friends from across the country. They look forward to not having to tell their parents when they’re going out like they have had to all summer. They await the freedom to lay in bed and binge watch "Grey’s Anatomy" all day without their mom nagging them to “get up and do something productive.” Ah yes, college kids are, for the most part, genuinely excited to go back to school. I say “for the most part” because right now I can’t seem to find that excitement. I loved my freshman year of college, and Chapel Hill truly has become my second home, but right now I just can’t bear the thought of leaving my real home when I feel like I have just returned. Before you start yelling at me saying I’m crazy for not being stoked about returning to campus (like all of my friends do) consider these reasons why I don’t want to go back to college.

Friends

Yes, I made friends at college. A bunch of fantastic, super, phenomenal, friends whom I have gotten so close with so fast and whom I hope will remain friends for life. But no one can take the spot of hometown friends. These new people don’t know who my first crush was in kindergarten. They don’t know where we keep the cookies in my kitchen, or where I had my first kiss. They’ve never met my dog. They didn’t have the same teachers. There are things in your past that you can’t explain as people enter your life, but your home friends experienced it with you, and for that they can never be replaced. So how can you tell me your heart doesn’t hurt at the thought of being thousands of miles away from them for the next ten months?

The lack of stress

The dog is a metaphor for all your schoolwork

Summer vacation means no classes, which correlates to no homework, no readings, no studying, and no exams. No more sleepless nights at the library with a Starbucks in your hand. No more boring study groups. No more dreadful group projects with people you can’t stand. Sure, maybe you’re taking a summer class, but does that one class even compare the to terribleness of a typical 15-credit course load of a semester? I didn’t think so. So sure, returning to college means returning to partying all night, but it means returning to studying all night too sometimes.

The food

Pizza, bagels, Chinese food, Dunkin' Donuts, family dinner at countless restaurants, sushi/Chipotle/Panera lunch dates with friends on the daily. Ralph’s Italian Ices at night in your car with your best friend. Yes, please let me give all this up for dining hall food.


The weather

If you go away to school, you have probably had to adapt to a new climate. At home, you knew when to make the transition from shorts to pants and vice versa, and you could tell by the color of the sky in the morning whether it was going to rain or not. Who wants to go back to unfamiliar weather? I personally am not looking forward to going back to the heat in North Carolina. I miss my New York snow, though I appreciate the snow days when we get just a sprinkling. But I don’t want to leave my comfortable, moderate, yet defined, four different seasons. I mean who really wants to still be wearing shorts at Halloween? Not me.

Working

If you were able to go the entire summer without your parents forcing you to get a summer job, kudos to you man, and let’s have our parents get together for lunch. The rest of us spent our gorgeous summer days working… no wonder they call it Summer Break in college-it’s no vacation, that’s for sure. As much as it stinks to have to work, you have to admit making your own money was sweet. And hopefully you saved at least some to bring back to school with you. Yes, maybe you have a part time job at school, but you won’t be raking it in like you did all summer. You’re going to miss not being broke by the time October comes around.

Driving

Okay, maybe since you’re not a freshman anymore you’re bringing your car to school, but most of us aren’t. Even if you are, you will find yourself driving considerably less than at home. Instead you will have to go back to relying on public transportation or your own two feet to get where your need to be. For someone that loves to be behind the wheel with the windows down and the music blasting, saying goodbye to my car is almost as hard as saying goodbye to my brother… actually maybe harder.

Family


You spent 18 out of the last 19 years with these people. It’s still weird not seeing them everyday. It’s still weird not coming home to your mom’s cooking at night, or having your dad be able to bring your homework up to school when you forgot it at home, or going to your brothers lacrosse games every weekend. They raised you and then had to send all their hard work away to some foreign campus. As frustrating, annoying, overprotecting, and crazy as they are, you have to admit you miss them while you’re away. Oh and your pets are included in your family of course (I knew I’d get some of you with that part.)

So yes, I am looking forward to going back to college, seeing my friends, taking great classes, going out, and making a whole new year of memories. But there will always be a part of me that wishes I could just stay home.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

182791
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

9501
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

454047
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

24216
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments