As crazy as it sounds, holiday breaks are just around the corner! While some may already have their bags packed to head home, others are dreading the trip due to one reason…the cliché questions. The questions that we, as college students, answer tirelessly every time there is a family gathering. Our families have every right to know the details about our crazy lives on campus, but there are some questions that are hard to just casually answer.
Here is a list of the top 5 questions you will most likely be asked this holiday season:
1. How is your relationship status?
Yes, the most obvious question in the book. Do you tell your parents about that boy you met at a frat party and occasionally snap? Probably not. If you have met someone so far and see a future, go ahead and give them details, there is no shame in going to college and double majoring with your MRS degree. If you are already in a relationship, you got this question in the bag, simply talk about your (probably) amazing mate!
2. How are your classes?
Let’s be real, classes can be terrible, stressful, overwhelming, challenging…all of the above?! It’s hard to fake a smile, pretend like everything is dandy and that you are receiving 100% on all of your tests. You don’t have to put up a front, but don’t completely throw every single one of your classes under the bus. Simply say that they are in progress and that you are trying your best! Maybe throw in a little detail here and there about your quirky professor or how you answered a question in front of a 200-person lecture. There is nothing my family loves more than a good story.
3. How are your roommates?
Personally, this is one of my favorite questions simply because I LOVE my roomies (shoutout to room 500)! For others, this is not the case. This question is a time for you to spill the details! Similar to the question about your classes, be real and tell the truth! Tell them about his/her crazy morning routine or how they get crazy good grades while they spend 90% of their time keeping up with the Kardashians.
4. Are you homesick?
Be honest with yourself, we have all had those times where we want more than anything to snuggle up in our own beds and be surrounded by the ones who love us the most. Don’t worry about your family feeling unloved if you say that you aren’t homesick, it’s a sign of independence! If you find yourself feeling homesick often, soak in the time during break with them so you can have something to look back on once you get back to campus.
5. Are you spending your money wisely?
Spending $7 on a venti white chocolate mocha with a slice of lemon loaf bread from Starbucks two times a week isn’t the best way to answer this one. (I may be describing myself, oops). Money is tight during this time in our lives, so don’t gab about all of the online shopping and eating out you do, unless you are ready for an old-fashioned lecture. Families ask this to hold you accountable and to make sure that you still have enough to survive off of. The holiday season is a holiday of giving, so maybe if you haven’t been going down the smartest road as far as finances, you will start up a little nest egg of savings so you can one day confidently answer this question with a solid “yes!”
All in all, the questions are inevitable. Don’t roll your eyes if you are asked these same questions this holiday season, this is your fair warning that they may be in your future. Answer with sincerity and love, because at the end of the day, your family wants to know about your new home away from home.