Four and a half weeks into the semester and you’re already starting to question if getting your degree is really worth it. The first week of school is awesome: you get to go back to campus, see the beauty of your school, and see your friends again. Two to three weeks in is when classes really start to become overwhelming, and you start questioning your sanity and why you ever wished for school to begin again.
Here are six reasons why we love back to school and six reasons we absolutely hate it:
Love
1. Seeing Your School Friends Again
Going to college you make friends from all over the country and even the world. During winter and summer break, we don’t get to see most of them which can be rough. After four months of not being around your best friends at college, nothing makes you happier than seeing them struggling to move everything into their new home for the school year, and getting that much-needed down time with your best girls.
2. Partying
It’s college, so suffice it to say, there is a good amount of partying. Once the weekend rolls around you and your friends are more than ready to let loose and have fun after a long week of classes. While there are parties over the summer, there’s nothing like kicking off the weekend and saying goodbye to a long week with pounding, smelly room with free alcohol.
3. Socially Acceptable to Nap Anywhere
Falling asleep on a bench or in the middle of a patch of grass is usually frowned upon back home, but on a college campus? Totally normal. Walking to class, I usually see at least one person passed out in an unusual spot that anywhere other than a college campus would be extremely concerning. But sleep is sleep, right?
4. Coffee Addictions are Normal Again
I personally love coffee and cannot refrain from buying an overpriced cup to satisfy my craving. Here’s the thing: 2-4 cups of coffee over the summer isn’t usually seen as normal, no matter how terrible your summer job may have been, but during the school year no one questions it. As a matter of fact, the coffee lines are always going around the corner.
5. Football Season
Football season is by far the most exciting time of the school year. Usually you would want to sleep in on a Saturday morning, but during tailgating season, you want nothing more than morning to come so you can start the festivities and show off your school pride.
6. Being Around like Minded People
Being present on a college campus, you are surrounded by a majority of 18-22ish year olds. Although you may have different political views, religious views, or social cues, everyone is still at the same point in life. There is always gonna be a like-mindedness among us because we’re all apart of the same generation, and going through essentially the same college experience.
Hate
1. Waking Up for Class
Waking up at 7 AM for tailgating, no problem. Waking up for an 8 AM or even a 10:20, absolutely not. Waking up to go to class is one of the worst things to have happen to you during your weeks at school. Rolling out of bed, putting shoes on, and a hoodie is about as much as you can handle that early. And even sometimes that can too much to ask for.
2. Actually Having to Do School Work
When classes actually start giving real homework assignments that require effort, you know you’re screwed and the fun times of syllabus week are over. One second, you’re registering your iClicker for homework, and the next you have a 6 page paper due by next class.
3. Group Projects
Group projects are the bane of my existence, unless you’re the lucky few that get to do them with friends. Meeting up outside of class with strangers to try to coordinate a project due in a couple of weeks is annoying and brings added stress that isn’t needed. Plus, you end up doing all the work, and getting only a part of the credit. And who wants that?
4. Being Broke Again
When you’re home for the summer, you most likely have a job and don’t have much to spend your money on considering you went back to living under your parent’s roof. Going back to school you spend money like there’s no shortage of it…until your card gets declined and reality hits you like a ton of bricks that you can’t afford your lifestyle.
5. Missing Your Pets
Moving away from home and going back to college is great, except for the fact you can’t take your pets with you. You wake up and pray that you see a dog on the way to class, and if you’re really lucky you get to pet it.
6. Saying Goodbye to Your Hometown Friends
Although it’s great to see your college best friends, it also means saying goodbye to your hometown best friends that are leaving to go to college hundreds of miles away from you. Luckily, FaceTime is a beautiful thing or else saying goodbye would be unbearable.
Although there are bad sides to the beginning of a new school year, I think the positives outweigh the negatives. As hard as school can be, being around your friends constantly and being around people your age going through the same type of stress makes it a bit more tolerable. Plus, you’ll get to see your family, pets, and hometown friends in less than two months for Thanksgiving! School may be starting to become too much at this point in the semester but at least it’s football season!
Featured image via Olia Danilevich on Pexels
