For most people in college, you have a lease that runs through the summer which means either subleasing for the summer, paying rent while you're not living there, or staying there all summer and working your life away. Paying hundreds of dollars for a place you're not even living in seems ridiculous to me, so I made the choice to stay in my college town over the summer until my lease runs out. With this decision means not being able to venture home as much as you like and missing out on things your hometown friends are going to do without you. To prevent all the homesickness and FOMO that will occur, there are a couple of things you can do.

First thing is even though you aren't physically home, still try your best to stay in contact with your family and hometown friends as much as you can. Some people may think that'll increase your homesickness, but it'll actually make you feel like you're at home and doing all the things you're physically missing out on. Plus, it's a way to stay in contact so if you do end up visiting home over the summer you will be included in all of the outings and plans with your friends. Your family will end up only talking about how much they miss you, but they know it's for the best and will welcome you with open arms soon enough.

Another way is to find people also staying in your home town for the summer and hang out with them whenever you can. They are most likely going through the same exact thing that you are, so it's nice to have one another. It makes the days go by fast and makes your summer filled with happy thoughts. Without that, you'll end up sitting in your apartment all day wishing you could go home.

Having a job over the summer is not something everyone is exactly a fan of, but that too also makes the time pass by. It's also a benefit because you're making money to use to do things over the summer like taking a trip home or going on any kind of trip you can go on. We're all in college, so we're going to have to get used to work all the time anyway. Working all summer is just a good practice start.

While it'd be nice to be at home and not have to worry about adult life, you can make the most out of any situation. So if you're staying in your hometown over the summer like me, try to have the best summer that you possibly can.