Growing up, summer was the best time of the year. It was the time of fun and freedom. No homework, no bedtime, no alarm in the mornings, and best of all: NO SCHOOL. I remember counting down the days until the last day of school and when the clock finally struck 3 p.m., on the last day, I remember feeling like the best time of the year had just begun. Now, as a college student, I have a few different thoughts about summer. As a young adult, I can't help but to truly disappoint my child self and say: I miss school! Here are three great reasons why summer is different as a college student.
1. Summer doesn't mean no responsibilities: As a kid, I remember swim team being my biggest responsibility during the summer. Besides getting up at 8:30 every morning for swim practice, my summer was filled with cookouts, sleepovers, sunrise to sunset pool days, ice cream, and fireflies. Now, summer is just a long period of time that you have to have a job 5 days a week or an internship where you have to make a great impression. Although these jobs and internships can be fun, they are adult responsibilities that are pretty much crucial to our futures. No more stress-free summers for us.
2. Being away from school for three months isn't that fun: Besides the tests and sometimes unbearable teachers, college is an amazing place. It is a place with all our friends, favorite restaurants, and pool spots. It's our home away from home and it's not really a place I want three-month vacation from. Although I know I will be back in August, it makes the three months of summer seem much longer.
3. Witnessing everyone's study abroad Insta posts: There's not much worse that sitting at your 9-5 job and scrolling through your Instagram feed to find picture after picture of Italian sunsets and the Great Barrier Reef. The only thing worse than not seeing all your besties all summer is seeing them order an Italian pizza bigger than their head.
As a college student, I have found that summer just isn't the same as when you were a kid. My 10- year-old self would be very disappointed to say that I probably prefer school over summer.
