Summer. Three months of long days, late nights, family vacations, cookouts and weekend trips. Ever since childhood, summer has always been the highlight of the year. The hot sun breathes life into the world and promises potential for exciting adventures. Every year the anticipation of summer vacation is tangible and by the last day of school, it is almost unbearable. To go back to the monotony of homework, tests, quizzes and hours in the classroom was the biggest disaster in a child's life. Each warm day blurs into the next, until suddenly the school year knocks on doors bringing summer to a sad, abrupt end.
This was the norm, at least until college.
The summer before the first day of college is one of extreme anticipation and excitement. Each passing moment brought move-in day even closer. The thought of finally getting away from home, moving into the dorms and starting the newest phase of life breeds excitement. Starting college hardly feels like another year of school; it is like beginning a completely new chapter of life.
As the year goes on, college students get swamped with work, papers, research and daunting exams. We seem to drown in homework as professors assign projects due on the same day, with three tests to study for, all within the same week. It all seems hard to handle, and the stress can get unbearable. The months begin to blur together, and eventually the fall semester morphs into the spring. As the weather warms up, students begin to anticipate those few, glorious months. Summer.
Of course, we are all happy to get away from the mountains of work and hours of stress. When the days get warmer, and as finals week creeps up on us, it is almost bittersweet to begin packing up your room, pulling down pictures of friends and the small reminders of memories that were made, and removing any evidence of your presence. When the last day of school finally comes, it is filled with teary "goodbyes," long hugs and purposeful procrastination (something we have all mastered by now), just to spend a few more moments with friends.
When we finally do get to our summer break, the fun, relaxing times only last a few weeks. Then, suddenly, nearly every college student is silently thinking, "Can I go back to school yet?"
So, the question is, why do college kids want summer to end so badly?
The answer, to those of us counting down the days until we can move back in, is very simple.
In the midst of the chaos, the papers, readings, countless assignments and important tests, we began living. We met our best friends, the friends that became family. Our messy dorm rooms were reminders of the late nights that left us too tired to clean. Procrastination was the product of the unforgettable adventure that we went on. Sore throats were trophies from a great football game. Early mornings with the team were reminders that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. While we are in college, we are experiencing life, and creating an experience that is uniquely our own. When at college, we are able to make questionable decisions and live to see another day. We can stay up and watch the late nights turn into early mornings with our best friends by our side. We begin to create our own traditions, and a way of life that is independent of anything else; a life that is our college experience.
We are all guilty of complaining about the amount of homework we are assigned, the papers we have to write, the poor grades we pulled in and the long hours we spent studying. There are definitely days where we wish we could disappear and avoid all responsibility. Despite the challenge, we love school all the same. We have even become fond of a few professors, even if they're a bit heavy-handed with homework. We spend hours with our team, and watched in awe as they became sisters and brothers. We spend days laughing, crying, studying and relaxing with our friends. In college, we finally have the opportunity to truly discover who we are and what we want to become. We have the ability to make impromptu plans, and say yes to the wild adventure. It is without a doubt that these things make the college life something memorable and meaningful to us all.
In short, we have taken a college campus and made it our home. We have filled it with fond memories that we will never forget. We have created our very own life within these buildings, and to leave, only for the summer, is to say goodbye to amazing people, and unforgettable moments.
During the summer, we are no longer able to walk a few minutes or hitch a ride on the bus to see our favorite people. We are stripped of our time together and the possibility for more life experiences. We are reduced to our memories for a few months, to text or phone calls. Suddenly we are spread across the country, and can no longer live our independent and unique lives that we worked so hard to create. We miss our friends and the chaos that we are accustomed to living in.
So, moms and dads, please don't be offended when we say that we are ready to go back to school. We enjoy our time with family and old friends (your food is amazing too, trust us). It's just that we are ready to get back to living the wild life that is college.
So really now, is summer over yet?
