With another summer ending, and another school year beginning, I've already started thinking about all the things I know I'll miss from home. No matter if you’re an incoming freshman, or you’re coming back for your final year, it can be hard to leave and go away for school. Although college is a ton of fun, you really don't know anything else besides home, so when you are away during the school year, you realize pretty quickly the things you really miss while away.

1. Family and friends (and your family's friends and your friends' families)

Duh! But really, you miss your mom and dad always yelling at you to do something (even though you totally hated it at home), those hugs from grandma and grandpa, and you miss the annoying friends who knew everything about you and had no problem doing embarrassing things with you. You'll even miss your sister's friends who were always at your house laughing at the dumbest things, and your friends' families who always made you feel welcome at their place.

2. Your bed and couch

You will always wish you could just bring your bed from home with you, because nothing else gives you as good of a night of sleep than your own bed can, and nothing on campus, no matter where you're living or just lounging, will feel as comfortable as your couch at home.

3. Having absolutely nothing to do

All summer you were bored to death and always wanted something to do, right? Well, say goodbye to that when you get to college. You have class all day, clubs, sports, and organizations that you have to meet for daily or weekly, school work that continues to pile up and never stop, always running to the cafeteria or cooking your own food, doing laundry, cleaning up all of the messes you have in your room, going to the library to study, making time to hang out with friends and socialize, and the list of things to do just never ends. You'll miss being lazy and bored, trust me.

4. Good home-cooked food (or take-out from your favorite local restaurant)

You've probably heard it before, but you don't realize how true it really is until you get to school. Usually the cafeteria isn't too bad, but it cannot beat your mother's home cooking, or even when you start cooking for yourself, you can't get anything to taste as good as it did at home. Plus, the dining-out options in your college town don't live up to your favorite places to go in your hometown.

5. Your bathroom

When you’re a freshman, you most likely use a community bathroom, so that’s reason enough to miss home because it seems dirty and as if you have no privacy there. But even when you aren’t using sharing a bathroom with a whole floor of people anymore, it seems that your bathroom at home is just the best out there, and nothing compares to your shower (especially because you can use it without wearing shower shoes).

6. Driving your car

If you're like me and go to a small school with a small campus, there is almost never any reason to drive anywhere. You have time to walk anywhere without being late, and there aren't many parking options close to every building, so walking is much easier. So, when you finally get in your car to start driving home for a weekend or break, you'll realize how much you loved driving and all the freedom it seems to give you.

7. Your pets

Seriously, if you don’t miss your dog or cat (or whatever else you may have), you’re not doing something right. Someday I might just pack mine with me and bring her along because I miss her so much.

When you get home for the first time since leaving for college, you'll definitely appreciate these things just a little more, and you'll really hate leaving them again when you have to go back to school.