After a long summer apart from my favorite place, I have spent some time reflecting on the countless things I will miss about HWS while I am studying abroad this fall. For the many of my fellow students who are also studying abroad, here is a reminder of some of the most amazing aspects of campus that I’m sure we will all miss while we are away.

First off, how can you not miss driving back onto campus alongside the beautiful lake in the summer heat, watching as students move back into their respective theme or fraternity houses on South Main Street?

Looking out the window of your car, the most thrilling feeling is seeing those familiar faces you have waited to see all summer long. The smiles, the hugs, the questions about each other’s summers; finally seeing people you missed and knowing now you can reconnect with them. The moment you mutually recognize the start of a new year, a new semester on the most beautiful campus at the best time of the year. The spirit of finally coming back to Bart sets in.

The spirit of Orientation is one of the things I will miss tremendously. While getting up early for training and running around campus in the heat were exhausting, there was nothing better than meeting new friendly faces on campus and helping them get acclimated. Riding around in golf carts, rallying students for photos and getting them hyped about being on campus, and of course, getting to eat really good food all weekend was awesome. For those of you who have never worked Orientation, little do you know that the first-years you move in and spend the weekend with may actually become your close friends later down the road. It feels like summer camp in a weird way once you get back to campus, but in a good way, you know you are home.

Secondly, after looking at this TWIP photo and seeing geoscience students eating lunch on the quad, immediately I remembered that I would be missing the end of summer and the beginning of fall on the quad. Last semester, I loved tabling at the Involvement Expo on the quad and meeting new first-years, talking to them about their interests. I loved sitting on the grass, watching performances, eating food truck food, and snacking outside with friends during the day. If only I could have more time on the sunny, green quad all day long.

Once campus is in full swing and classes started, Saga is bustling with people moving in and out, new faces and old. You greet the familiar ones, moving from table to table to ask about summers and finding out who is doing what on campus this year. Club meetings are packed and flourishing, and you find out who will be joining you for the semester, and also which people from your classes you will be seeing around even more. It’s like being home, but new things always take you by surprise.

I am sad I will be missing the new additions to campus, including the Au Bon Pain in the library and the new one-card friendly washer and dryer systems. I will miss the enthusiasm of Parent’s Weekend and having my family visit so we can eat at Port’s. I will miss the three-day long spirit of Halloween and the stress of finding the best costumes possible. I am sad I will not be there to get into my daily routine and watch others do the same. Also knowing that I will be coming back in the dead of winter makes me nostalgic for the beautiful lake weather even more. It will be amazing to study abroad and immerse myself in an entirely new culture, but one of the best parts of my trip will be coming back home to HWS.