10 Things that Happen When You Move Home for the Summer After Being at College | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

10 Things that Happen When You Move Home for the Summer After Being at College

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

178
10 Things that Happen When You Move Home for the Summer After Being at College

1. Curfew? Apparently, those exist again...

Your first weekend on campus was full of startling realizations that you have the ability to do what you want, when you want, and no one really cares or even knows unless you tell them about it. You can be out until 3 a.m. and there is no one to question what you were up to or why you were out so late (except for maybe your uptight roommate). When you return home and display the same behavior however, it is not as accepted. Instead you are greeted with 100 questions coming from an angry mother by the lamp light of the living room. Being that stubborn, independent "adult" that you are, you persist against their curfew rules. A hard-fought battle ensues and only one side will win. Good Luck.

2. "I love all this free time!" ... "And now, I'm bored."

The last few weeks of school all you can think about is how great it will feel to be at home with tons of free time to do whatever you want. This excitement lasts about three days, and leads to you finding yourself completely bored with nothing to do.

3. Your parents begin to question WHO you're hanging out with and WHY you're hanging out with them.

They say that high school friends do not stay your friends once college has started; sometimes this is the case and sometimes it's not. Regardless, you will not be the same person you were in high school, and neither are your friends, so maintaining these relationships might be a challenge. For this reason, you will search out new opportunities to meet new people in your home community. Most of the time, if you're lucky, these friends will be the people at your summer job. Parents are more comfortable with you hanging out with kids they have watched you grow up with, but once your bring "strangers" into the mix, they begin to wonder how you could possible feel comfortable with these people, let alone trust them with your safety and well-being. Thus, you must reassure them that your new friends are nice people. It's time that the judging of their character be up to you.

4. You begin to realize that your family is able to fully function without your presence and they do not appear distraught if you're not around.

When I left for school I remember thinking that my house would be so quiet without me around. I assumed that without all of my activities to attend my parents would be bored. To my utter surprise that actually was not the case at all. Everyone seemed to be carrying along just fine without me around, in fact, having me back was an adjustment for them. Another plate at the dinner table, another person to challenge the movie selection, and another body using up all the hot water were just a few minor adjustments they had to make.

5. FOOD

Let's just say, it's healthier, not fried for every meal, and it's REAL food!

6. Sleeping will now have time limits that follow "normal sleeping patterns."

College is all about sleeping when you can. If you have a paper due at 8 a.m., it is common to stay up until 5 a.m., and when it is finished, take a little nap, go to class, and then sleep from noon until it's time for dinner. Apparently this trend is not as appreciated in the real world. While you learn to sleep through kids running up and down the hallway, your roommate shuffling papers, and with the light on, there is still one thing you cannot sleep through: your parents yelling at you to get up at 7 a.m.

7. You develop a whole new freedom to life, while still living under someone else's roof (with it's limitations, of course).

Upon returning home, you discover that there are so many possibilities of adventures to do that you never even thought of before. You can take weekend road trips with your friends, fly to visit your roommate on the other side of the country, or even attend weekend music festivals. The opportunities are endless (as long as you okay it with mom and dad first).

8. Depending on how you do it, you could potentially make yourself more busy during the summer than you ever were while you were away at school.

Many college students have two goals when they go home for the summer: to hang out with their friends that they do not see as often, and to make as much money as possible to get them through the next school year. This means having a job or two, accompanied with full-time/more hours. This leaves you understanding why your parents complained about working all the time. 40+ hours a week is exhausting, and you begin to look forward to those days off more than anything.

9. It is not as bad as you think: there are some really wonderful perks.

One of the greatest benefits that comes from being away at college is how much you appreciate coming home. You learn to cherish the comfiness of your bed and the living room couch, not having to watch Netflix on your small laptop screen, and best of all, your parents become more like friends to you. The embarrassment of being seen in public with them fades away and you realize that you actually like hanging out with them, and sometimes they can be pretty awesome people.

10. You vow to not make living at home a permanent happening for next summer.

As much as you love or hate returning to live at home, there is one thing that is for sure: you will have your own place next summer, because even though it had it's moments, living at home is not exactly something you want to do again. Unless, of course, you have no choice.

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

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1175
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

810
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

122
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1473
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments