After three long months of anticipation, the Big Day came and passed. Cars were unpacked and storage bins were carried across campus, up countless flights of stairs, and placed in their designated dorm rooms or apartments. Moving back into school is an exhilarating, and tiring, experience.
Though you're happy to be moving back in, it's easy to be swept away by the early and excessive work that comes along with being a college student, and forget just how happy you are to be back.
At the dawn of the semester, during that beautiful first week known as "syllabus week" (which is deceptive, because somehow, there's still homework), I urge you to keep in mind all the great things that going back to college has to offer, none of which are coursework related, of course.
1. You get to reunite with your long-lost friends
Going three months without seeing the people you saw basically every day last year can prove quite difficult. The first week back is your chance to go on as many lunch dates as possible to catch up and see just how many people you can fit in your 10x10 ft dorm room before an RA notices.
2. Sweet freedom
I'm not just talking about freedom from parental supervision, I also mean freedom from your awful summer job , freedom from non-stop relatives asking what you're doing with your life (because let's be honest, you have no idea), and freedom from all the little things that stress you out at home--I'm looking at you, LIE traffic.
3. Socializing
If you're like me, then you live for being around and interacting with other people. College makes this process too easy. In most cases, your friends are only a floor or two away (unless you happened to get stuck in the dreaded dorm on the edge of campus, like I did, of course), which means that making plans is as easy as it gets. It'll only be a matter of hours before your squad rolls through to whatever party is happening the night you move in.
4. I mean like real, genuine, socializing
When I say college makes you social, I don't mean you get more people to text/snapchat/etc., I mean you get to actually talk to people again. Whether you're sitting in a lounge or the library or just outside under a tree, there's always going to be people around. Spark up a conversation with them, because what do you have to lose?
5. You have new responsibility
College is great, because it makes you feel like an adult without you actually being an adult. You get to live in your own space, free from supervision (besides an RA, of course), and you get to make your own decisions. At the same time, though, you still have the liberty to call your parents on a daily basis--or whenever you need money, really.
6. Your school spirit makes a comeback
The second I stepped foot onto my campus again, I was hit smack in the face with college pride. This was probably due to the excessive number of parents wearing "Villanova Mom and Dad" shirts, but that's not the point.
7. You feel at home
Don't forget, college is your home away from home, and moving back in surely does remind you of that fact.
With all of that being said, it's time to finish unpacking those bags you promised your mom would be done as soon as she left, go out there, and enjoy yourself. Happy new semester, make it a great one!
