Dear College Student,

You made it! You’re almost through summer and gearing up to head back to dorming, dining halls, and late nights with friends, and if you’re reading this, odds are you couldn't be happier. I feel you. While all of your friends—college and high school students alike—are tweeting out gifs expressing their distaste at the upcoming school year getting here so soon, you’re throwing yourself a private party for one and making the most detailed packing list ever seen. And I want you to know something: that excitement, that eagerness, is okay, in fact it’s more than okay, it’s great.

A lot of people look at college kids who call their college town their home and they make some unfair assumptions, they get the wrong idea. They think we only love going to school to party or live by our own rules, or that we hate our friends from back home or maybe just don’t have any, or that we can’t stand spending time with our family. And for some, perhaps those assumptions ring true, but for most, and for myself loving your college community more than your home one, doesn’t mean you don't love your home and the people in it. I’m grateful for my summer back home this year and the time I’ve spend with family and the opportunities I’ve had to connect with the people I graduated with. There is no lack of love between myself and my home network, it’s what made me into who I am today. That said, I CANNOT WAIT to get back to school, and I refuse to feel guilty for that.

And I think it’s important to note, I don’t in any way think that I’m better than my hometown or the people in it. We just don’t line up. As Jane A. Horval very eloquently said here, “Everything that I want, all my goals and dreams, wouldn't be possible without my upbringing back home, but those goals and dreams aren't something I can achieve there.” And that’s why I love my college town so very much. My college network is full of friends vastly different from each other with varied upbringings and different goals, but all trying to achieve things in a similar fashion to me, as well as opportunities abound and connections to help me achieve all the things my hometown couldn’t. The energy of my college community is one that feels so natural and so right to me that I feel right at home in this city that I’ve known for less than a year. And I think that’s something that we as students should celebrate, not feel guilty for.

Some people feel so comfortable in their hometowns, they thrive there, and they know right off the bat that that place is their home for life. And I’m so happy for them that they know what they want for their life, they’ve had it the whole time, but that person is not me, it never will be, and I will never apologize for it

So I invite you, college town lover, to let yourself be excited, openly! Pack a week too early, make lunch plans with your best friend before you’re even back in the same state, be excited, be energized, love your town, and be glad that it feels like home.

Sincerely,

A girl who's way too hyped to get back to University