Summer is finally here! By now I'm sure you've had enough time to weigh the pros and cons of being left alone for extended periods of time, unless you're the kind of person who jumps right into an internship because you love to suffer:
1. Visiting
The most anticipated part of returning home is the opportunity to visit with friends, or more importantly, your pets. Everyone in your group promises to plan a get-together, but when you check their Snap Story it looks like they've already got it covered! At least you can chill at home with your dog, who is incapable of both using a phone or lying to you.
2. Driving
At last, the freedom to drive wherever your heart desires! Especially for a first year at my school, where having our own car on-campus before sophomore year is prohibited, sliding behind the wheel is uniquely liberating. You can drive to your favorite local spots for some cheap but tasteful food. But, as with everything in life, there are some downsides: having to pay for gas, running errands, and being the personal chauffeur for siblings or friends who can't drive.
3. Air Conditioning
Salvation from evil climate change. There is no downside.
4. Weather
Everyone knows that the summer season is synonymous with kicking back at the scorching beach or local pool! Unfortunately, 90% of the time this requires one to actually go outside, which means you can't escape the heat and humidity unless you're in the water the whole time. Thanks, climate change!
5. Parents
Ah, parents. You can't live with them, you can't live without them. They'll lend you money or do your laundry, if you're the kind of person who still asks their parents to wash your underwear for you -- no judgement -- but in return they'll ask you to run to Wegmans once every ten minutes, if they're not too busy nagging you, a grown person, about the state of your bedroom.
6. Downtime
You wake up in a panic without an alarm to rouse you. You reach for your phone to see how late it is, how many classes you've missed, before you remember that you're pretty much free for the next two months. You might be going stir-crazy without a problem set or an entire book to read before Friday, but at least now you have more time to contemplate the best (powdered peanut butter) and worst (24-hour news cycle) inventions of human history.
Turns out summer isn't always all it's cracked up to be. However, there is at least one thing that has stayed more or less the same: you're still getting your food and your mail while in your pajamas!
