Going off to college is quite the transition, especially as a freshman who is doing it for the first time. You go from being with your family all of the time to being in a dorm or apartment building with all of your peers, from a relatively light workload to an extremely heavy one, and from having people to take care of you to having to do it all on your own. Then, once you finally get adjusted to a whole new lifestyle, you move back home for the summer and have to adjust all over again! There's plenty of strange things about being home for the summer, but here's just a few that have stood out to me.
1. Sleeping schedule
Sleeping while in college is a totally different experience. Most of your friends are up until odd hours of the night either going out, watching Netflix, or *gasp* doing homework, so you tend to be up at those times as well. And even if you TRY to go to sleep early for once, everyone in your hall is constantly making noise and you never really get enough shut eye. Coming home means having parents and siblings who probably still have a normal sleep schedule, and for the first time you're the only one up at that time.
2. Having someone tell you what to do
Technically at school your parents COULD tell you to do stuff, but them telling you really meant it got done within a few days...or maybe a week...or two. Now that you're under the same roof, your parents telling you to do something means actually having to do it. They ask you to do chores, give you a curfew, and tell you what you can and can't do. After having complete freedom for the better half of a year and the knowledge that you actually ARE capable of caring for yourself, it's weird to say the least.
3. Not having work to do
Sure, most people are taking summer classes or have an internship/job over the summer, but it's nothing compared to the workload of the school year. Now that finals are over, there's actually time to breathe and do things that are enjoyable. I don't feel like my days are crammed or stressful like they were before, instead they're just calm and easy.
4. Free access to food
After being on a meal plan with a set number of meals or points per week, it's nice to be able to open up the pantry and eat whenever your heart desires. It's even nicer than now you don't have to walk all the way to the dining hall to get food, even though walking in this weather might be a bit better than it was having to get all bundled up in January just to get a bite to eat.
5. Not living with your friends
When you're in a dorm room, you never lack someone to talk to about your day or go on a cool adventure with. At home, on the other hand, you can feel like you're in the loneliest place in the world. Especially if you're like me and got home earlier than most of your friends, you'll find yourself wondering what to possibly do when no one you know is free to hang out.
6. Having your own space
Even though it can be lonely, it's nice to have room to put all of your things in your bedroom at home versus being cramped into a room with multiple other people. Even though I loved the people I was with, I can't say I miss the cramped closet space my roommates and I attempted to divide (I ended up taking up more than I probably should have), the bunk bed I climbed up into every day, or the bathroom shared by half the floor.
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