I really cannot wait to go back to college. It may sound a little cliché, but this is what I have been waiting for all summer. Aside from how mind numbingly boring the Skook is, I will miss it... kinda. Don’t get me wrong, I love being home and seeing my friends and family, I wouldn't trade that time for anything. However, it’s very hard to go from seeing your friends every day, to being multiple hours away from them. For me, that’s probably the hardest part of college. I never really had problems scheduling some time to get work done or study, although some would frown upon the way I plan for things (they may even call it “procrastination”) . So long as I put forth the effort I thought was necessary for success, I have succeeded. I’m not a perfect student, but I like to think I do pretty well.

In high school, I kind of blended into whatever social group I wanted. I tried to get along with everyone. I was pretty involved in athletics, so a good amount of my friends were jocks, I did, however, steer away from the stereotypical thick-skulled guys and gals, though; I could hardly stand being in the same room as them. I rarely see them now, unless we meet up at a party or start up a pickup game of soccer. The ones I do see are somewhat on the other side of the spectrum. They’re not unathletic dorks who couldn’t catch a ball to save their life, but they couldn’t tell you the names of players on sports teams. These are the guys I really grew up with, from hanging out in school to going hiking on the weekends as Boy Scouts (that should tell you about the kind of kids we were); they’re my childhood friends. They’re also the exception to Susky. By that I mean they’re the only ones I’ll miss (and my family of course) when I go off to college.

It’s not even that I didn’t have good friends in high school; I did, but the people I have met at college are just better. In almost every sense they are better: we get along better, we’re similar in personality and dissimilar in the best ways. I’d like to believe it’s just the sort of warm, friendly, environment Susquehanna creates. Thankfully, it’s not a politically correct “safe space," but you won’t be ridiculed or chastised by your peers either. It’s a good balance. I can’t really speak for other colleges, maybe it’s the same way there, maybe it’s something about my school. It could just be that I lucked out. I might have just been fortunate when it came to making friends. In a way, they kind of become your family. I’m sure everyone doesn’t have the same sort of luck I’ve had so I’m very thankful for how everything has turned out so far. I know there’s the chance that it could all go downhill but as it stands right now it could only get better. I hope everyone feels this way about returning to school, and if it’s your first year attending college try not to worry too much. Your peers are in the same boat as you are. You’re all starting a new chapter of your life, and you’re all looking for friends to help you fill in the pages.