One of the most exciting feelings at the end of the school year is finishing your last final and knowing you're free for the summer, but let's face it, you can't stay away long. Having an apartment at school makes me want to take advantage of the fact that I can visit Rutgers and stay there whenever I want. Because I have this chance, I have been back and forth a bunch of times during the summer and I've noticed a lot of variances in the campus life during the different seasons.

1. The Population

Of course, you would expect to see fewer people at school in the summer, but compared to Rutgers during the school year, Rutgers in the summer looks like a ghost town. I usually walk out of my apartment to tons of people walking around Easton and down my street, but in the summer, it's pretty quiet.

2. The Temperature

Summer is supposed to be hot, of course, but for some reason every off campus apartment I've visited this summer has been unbearable. It's hotter inside than outside, and everyone looks exhausted from the heat.

3. The Emptiness

Normally, you would walk down College Ave and see tons of organizations at tables playing music and getting the word out. In the summer, all there is on College Ave is a couple of cars and one or two people.

4. The Classes

The amount of people who take summer classes at any school is always pretty large, but I've seen and met a lot of people still living on campus taking classes.

5. Livingston

Livingston is usually busy in general because of all of the things it has to offer, but in the summer it seems even busier. Because all of the other campuses are so empty, you see all of the people taking classes along with orientation groups and tours on Livingston in the summer.

6. The Parking

Do I even have to explain this one? It's definitely easier to avoid the RU Screw with parking tickets in the summer because there are less people around. Parking in the summer at Rutgers is definitely one of the best parts.

7. The Restaurants

Normally you pass by Stuff Yer Face and see tons of people outside at the bar and a line out of the door. You see tons of people in Thomas Sweets enjoying their ice cream, and you'd pass by 10 people you know walking to the book store. In the summer, the campus and the restaurants are empty with the occasional group of people meeting up for dinner.

Rutgers in the summer and Rutgers during the school year are two very different things. It's so interesting to see the difference and how large it is. Even though I love the summer, I love Rutgers better during the school year. It's more festive, you have people around you, and it's definitely not as unbearably hot.