Oh, summer. You know what they always say, "Hair gets lighter, skin gets darker, water gets warmer, nights get longer, music gets louder, and life gets better." I mean, how could you not agree with this statement? Three months of not having to worry about being a full time student, laying out at the pool sippin' on something a little stronger than that coffee you probably have every morning at school to stay awake, being able to reunite in your hometown with your family and all of your middle school and high school friends, and going home for the summer may also mean you get to go back to your part time summer job you may have had for the past few summers in a row to finally make some extra cash. Don't get me wrong, summer is by far one of the most fun times of the year, but being back at college is by far the best.

As Asher Roth would say, "Man, I love college." I catch myself often during the summer counting down the days until I can come back to good ole Illinois State University and am reunited with all of my amazing friends I haven't seen in a while, some I might have ever had to go three long months without seeing. Summer is fun and all, but I'm always stoked to move back to Normal, IL to see what type of shenanigans will go on throughout the upcoming year.

In college, there really aren't any rules if you think about it. You could basically do whatever the hell you wanted to. Now, don't get too crazy. There are boundaries when it comes to school work and your grades, but sorry mom and dad, I like the total and complete independence. It's still so weird to me that I'm a grown up trying to figure out how to cook myself a solid meal without it involving noodles, cheese, and the microwave, but I'm starting to get the hang of it.

College reminds us of how it's going to be like in the real world. We start our way at the bottom as an itty bitty freshman and slowly but surely work our way up into mature adults who will be receiving that piece of paper we paid so much money for. College is about having the time of your life, trying not to take anything too seriously, making mistakes, meeting your lifelong friends, and for you 21-year-olds, never missing a pub Wednesday. College is four short years of your life, so why wouldn't you want to rush back to start another amazing year? Time flies by when you're having fun, so soak it all up and make the best of it. Here's to another amazing year at the ILSTU, let's make the best of it.