Hearing the final bell ring on the last day of school is a euphoric feeling shared by kids all over the country. This final bell signals that summer is here, there is no more work to be done and various summer activities are starting. Papers fly down the hall as people throw out all of their belongings and get-togethers are formed to celebrate the start of summer.

So, why am I sitting here in a slump? For me, returning home for the summer as a college student is the weirdest experience yet.

Your parents

You're just reuniting with your friends from home. You have things to do, people to see and places to go. (Okay, more like food to eat while you catch up because that's all any of these suburbs have to offer.) You're used to returning home whenever you want, with whoever you want, making plans on your agenda and doing whatever activities you desire in your space. But, now there's someone above you. Their house, their rules. Don't even think about arguing with them, because they pay for your tuition, meals and everything else. The days of leaving at 1:30 in the morning to meet up with someone and coming back at 3:45 a.m. are over. You're having dinner with a friend on Sunday night? Not so fast, Mom made plans with the grandparents. It's like high school, but worse, because you're not actually in high school.

Getting a Job

As the year came to an end you might have spent a little adventitiously. Going all out with food, alcohol and transportation left you no choice but to get a summer job. Truthfully, you were probably going to get one anyway, but the realization that you have no spending money left was a good motivational push. All of a sudden, you and your friends become the towns newest waiters, waitresses, camp counselors, retail workers and lifeguards. This is fast money, but nonetheless, not how you visualized spending your summer. Where is my suntan? When can I lay out by the pool? To top it all off, you're all on different schedules, so the "hanging out and catching up" thing only ends up happening twice a week.

Summer Classes

Dropped a class this semester? Trying to get ahead for next year? Summer classes at the local community college are crawling with university students. Whether it be math, an arts and humanities credit or something random that you want the easier version of, community college is where it's at. Nothing like studying all summer long to get the credits that you can receive at the university that you attend! The nice weather taunts you as you sit inside the local Starbucks or public library to "ace" yet another final exam.

Internships

Interns have the ideal summer. They get to be away from home, most likely earn college credit and basically job shadow their career interest. Most interns are in another location so they get to meet a variety of new friends, with little to no rules as far as their night life and weekend festivities. During the week, depending on the internship, these people see the insides of a job and get to attend certain events that they otherwise would not get to see.

Staying in Shape

Freshman 15? Please, it's even harder to stay in good shape during the summer. Especially with this whole dad bod trend right now, people are letting themselves go. All there is to do around small suburban areas is eat, and with the pressure to get a job and take summer classes, there is very little time to exercise. It's fro-yo season to the max, and all of that late night snacking adds up more than the occasional drunk pizza session. There are always those people that come back from summer vacation, and people say, "Damn what happened, they look amazing!" How do they do it? Is food not sacred anymore? Do Memorial Day and Fourth of July barbecues and Mother's Day and Father's Day brunches not exist anymore?

In the words of Lana Del Rey, “I got that summertime sadness." I miss being social all day, every day and having my personal freedom. The anxiety and pressure to keep my room clean while getting good grades in my summer classes and maintaining a job is at an all-time high. One can only watch so much Netflix before going insane. But summer has its perks, too. Enjoy reuniting with home friends, taking long summer drives and the nice weather because, before we know it the chaos of school will be back in session, and we will want to go back to these moments. Also, hug your parents, they just want to spend some time with you and make sure you're safe.