Last year was my very first year of college. It didn't take long for NC State's campus to become a second home to me. In just a few short days I'll be packing all of my belongings together and making the trek back to Raleigh where I'll be calling home for another year. I'm excited and I can't wait to be back in the city again! My sophomore year is lying right in front of me and I can't wait to get my feet wet in all the fun things that come with being back in college.

To me, decorating a new room is one of the best parts about living away from home. I love rearranging furniture and hanging things on the wall. Dorms can sometimes look a bit like a prison cell what with the cinder block walls and empty cots. I always have a blast making that transformation from cold and empty to sunny and comfy! My favorite part about the decoration process is that it takes me all year to get the room exactly like I want it. I'm constantly on the look out for a new poster to hang or the perfect string of lights. Majority of the things I hung up on my wall last year were cool flyers from around campus! I just can't wait to start the process all over again!

When you come home for the summer you leave the college atmosphere behind. There's a certain feel to a college campus that doesn't exist anywhere else. It's the feeling of belonging to a big club. Everyone on campus is sharing the college experience together. We're all around the same age group, we all share the same extreme college pride, and every one of us feels that same stress when it comes exam time. I'm excited to be a part of that club again! There's nothing like walking around campus with your book bag on headed to class. It's just nice to be with a lot of people that while being completely different and individual you still fit into a whole.

Move in is just before the best time of year. Fall is just around the corner and that means sweatshirts, blue jeans, and Halloween. What else is a staple during that time a year? College Football. I've never been a huge football girl, but there's nothing like the excitement of the whole campus decked out in our red and white! The roar of the crowd chanting the fight song and the band killing every note gives me chills. Not only am I excited for football, I'm also exited for soccer and volleyball games. No one can resist supporting their team.

One of my favorite parts about college is having access to the dining hall. That means there is a never ending supply of food right at your finger tips. My friends and I made it a staple to get breakfast before our psychology class twice a week last year. Breakfast is my favorite meal so when there is someone there to dish out scrambled eggs and grits every morning, I'm sold. We always had a good time picking out the other students who had the same idea as us. The same crowd showed up every Tuesday and Thursday mornings at nine to get the day started.

I also can't wait to be back in the capital city. I always refer to it as "Raleighwood" because to me, it's every bit as glamorous as Hollywood. I love the slow country life but there's just an energized excitement to living in a busy city. I love being able to walk from place to place and being surrounded by little businesses. Plus, if I ever get bored there is a cheap movie theater five minutes away, a bowling alley within walking distance, and the farmers market just off campus.

One of the hardest parts of readjusting to life back home for the summer was the distance between my best friends and I. All year is basically like a big sleepover with all of your friends within a short walk. When I came home, miles and miles spanned between us. We didn't hang out often but when we couldn't stand it any longer it took a lot of planning. We had to clear everyone's schedules, figure out where we were going to stay, how long it would take to get from place to place, and exactly how much time we could spend together before it was time to part again. I'm dying to get back to our everyday hang outs.

Everyone is familiar with the Aretha Franklin song "Think". It plays in tons of TV commercials every year. When I start to think about going back to college the lyrics to that song ring through my mind, "Oh freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom!" I can't wait to be back on my own, making my own choices, and keeping myself in line. Don't get me wrong, I'm not oppressed by my parents! I have a lot of freedom at home but there is immense satisfaction to holding the reins of your life. It is nice to hold yourself accountable for everything you do. I have to make sure I wake up in time. I have to make the time to study. I decided the pros and cons of every situations. So for this reason and all the others, I cannot wait to be back with the Pack.