After a long break of bickering with your sibling and working at that painfully boring part-time job, you’ve been itching to head back to school. Even if you’re not too excited about purchasing textbooks and unpacking, there are so many reasons to be excited about returning. Here are the best things about a new semester at JMU:

Syllabus Week

Let’s be honest, syllabus week is pretty much FROG Week round two. Since everyone, including the professors, are transitioning from break into the new semester, the first few classes are typically brief and easy. The information is all new, meaning students can enjoy their time at JMU without studying for an upcoming cumulative test or worrying about their current grades.

Refilled Dining Dollars

Now you don’t have to decide between the Starbucks iced coffee and the salted pretzel from Auntie Anne’s, you have enough dining for both! With your JAC card handy, you can confidently walk into any dining facility and splurge on your favorite items… at least for the first few weeks.

The Food

Your mom's home-cooked meals were exactly what you needed over the holiday season, but you can’t deny that deep down you missed E-hall brunches and the dumplings from Mongolian Grill. Your first Grilled Cheese Thursday or bite of buffalo-mash after a long break is the real homecoming.

New Classes

A fresh start, a clean slate; a schedule full of new classes means putting those New Year’s resolutions to action and being the responsible, organized student you’ve always aspired to be. New classes also means more opportunity to make friends with the awesome girl in your study group or the shy guy who sat next to you in the lecture hall.

Reuniting with Friends

You love your friends from home, but your college friends are a new breed - they were there for you through rush, College GameDay, the great snowpocalypse of 2015, the all-nighters at Carrier, your struggle with that Gen-Ed professor, and every weekend at JMU since. There’s nothing you want more than reuniting with your squad after spending time apart.

Independence

Whether you live in a dorm on the Quad or in off-campus housing, heading back to JMU means you’re away from your family and on your own again, even if you call your mom every day. There's no one telling you to clean your room or forcing you to fold the laundry scattered on your floor. Once again you are breathing the fresh air of freedom… unless it’s raining at JMU, then you’re smelling the familiar aroma of dog food.

A Fresh Routine

The last few weeks of the previous semester seemed to drag on and on, and now you’re ready for something new. Whether it’s finding time to fit a workout at UREC into your schedule or coordinating lunch breaks with your friends, this new semester allows you to mix up your old routines and spice up your life.