Coming home from college definitely makes you aware of how different it is living away from home. There are so many things that you're responsible for, that your parents aren't there to help you with anymore. No one is there to remind you to do your laundry, to take out the trash, or clean your room. Don't get me wrong, the freedom is great. Living away at college, however, isn't nearly the same as living at home. These are some of the things we've all realized are way different when we get home:
1. There's no dish return.
At most schools, you'll find a dish return where you bring all of your dishes after you're done eating. It's like a magical, yet mysterious, conveyer belt. Once you place your dishes on it, the cafeteria staff takes care of the rest. Coming home, we're not so lucky. You actually have to wash your own dishes again (I know, it's horrible). It gets worse: once the dishes are clean, you have to put them away. It's not nearly as easy as placing dishes on the magical conveyer belt and watching clean ones appear with a blink of an eye. Thankfully, there are dishwashers for the laziness in us all.
2. Cleaning staff
Depending on the style of housing you lived in, you may have had a cleaning staff. They replenish your toilet paper, clean the common bathrooms and showers, scrub the toilets, and make sure everything is tidy. It's the little things like always having paper towels to dry your hands or never running out of soap that we take for granted. Coming home to your own personal bathroom isn't as spectacular as you'd think. Now you're responsible for replacing the toilet paper, cleaning the shower, scrubbing the toilet, and replenishing the soap.
3. Meal options
As one of three kids, it's nearly impossible for my mom to come up with a dinner that we can all agree on. I'm the first person to admit that dining hall food is not the most delectable food on the planet. However, they do provide students with a wide variety of options. It's not like there's only one entree that everyone has to eat. If you don't like what's for dinner at home, well too bad.
4. Going out
College is the epitome of freedom. You don't have to ask permission before you go out, or provide constant updates on your whereabouts. You're in control of where you go, when you go there, and who you want to go with. If you want to go out at 3 in the afternoon instead of studying, no one is there to tell you no. At home, you're not in charge anymore. My parents love the phrase, "My house, my rules." I see where they're coming from though - show a little respect.
5. Cleaning up
When it comes to cleaning up after yourself in college you have two options: clean or don't clean. If you choose to clean up after yourself, all you really need to do is make your room smell decent and look somewhat presentable. If you're that guy that lives in his own filth, all the power to you. However, just keep in mind that you probably have a roommate or friends that come over so be mindful of that. You don't want them thinking you're an absolute slob (or maybe you do). When you're home, you have parents to tell you that you need to get your sh*t together. If you stink, they'll tell you. If you're room looks like a bomb went off, they'll tell you. It's both a blessing and a curse. At least you have someone who's going to be straight up with you!
6. Privacy
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that being home provides you with all the privacy in the world. However, you probably have your own room that you can escape to whenever you just want some space. At school, you probably have roommates that you share a space with, so getting away isn't as easy. While the company is great, everyone needs alone time now and then.
All in all, being home is definitely something that takes some adjusting-- things are way different. Living on your own definitely has its perks, but I'll take a nice home-cooked meal over a dish return any day.
