More than ever, my friends that are away at college have been itching to come home. In a normal year, college students constantly mention how they miss campus, their friends, and college as a whole when they return home for breaks. This norm has magically disappeared this year, and here’s why.
Specifically as a freshman, assimilating and adjusting to college life during this never ending pandemic is quite difficult. With strict rules and nerve-racking consequences looming, college students are getting sick of their campuses. The first two weeks were a whirlwind, meeting new people or seeing old friends, having new classes, or taking college classes for the first time, and overall just being in a different environment after being stuck in their hometowns for what felt like forever. Now, being stuck in their hometown doesn’t seem all that bad.
From being home, I have learned that the freedom I thought I was missing by not going to college, I actually have more of than those that are on campus. While I may be eating dinner with my parents every night and not going out to parties or joining clubs, students at campus are pretty much doing the same. The pros on my end, however, are that if I did want to escape, grab a coffee in a different town, or even hang out with friends that are home, I can easily get up and do so. Not to mention, I am not getting a cotton swab shoved up my nose every other week. Those that are home have the luxury of doing plenty more activities, as long as they choose to be safe. College students have limited to no activities they can do to pass time, regardless of whether or not they’d be safe about it.
Especially with Halloweekend coming up, the freedom of being home is even more prominent. Some schools are on the brink of shutting down or are cracking down on security this weekend to prevent a spike, meanwhile us at home have the option to celebrate, even if it means just with a small group of friends. Although right now we may not be surrounded by our college friends, may be stuck sleeping in our childhood bedroom, and are yearning for the day we can head back to Worcester, being home is more of a luxury than we realize.