It's That Time of Year Again

It is that time of year when the days are slowly getting shorter, Staples has a line out the door and parents are humming the song “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” It is back-to-school time. Luckily for me (and my mom!) I never really unpacked when I came home from Syracuse, so the physical preparation process is much easier than last year.

The emotional aspect will be easier as well. It will still be difficult to say goodbye to my high school friends again. I was lucky enough to reconnect with quite a few of them while I was home for the summer. Granted, I can still easily communicate with them, and I’m not moving to the other side of the country, but I still prefer to actually see them face to face. Spending time with them these past few months has really strengthened our friendship.

via Pixabay

One thing I know I am not alone on will be missing my family. I know that I will still have plenty of chances to see them during the school year, but that does not change the fact that I may feel slightly lonely without their presence. My parents have always supported me throughout my life, and the longest I have ever been without them before college would have been two weeks, and that was when I was still in a familiar environment. This past year, I was in upstate New York for at least two and a half months without them. Fortunately, my major increase in freedom and a decrease in adult supervision provided me with many new opportunities and distractions.

I will especially miss having my own room, especially after being home this summer. And let’s not kid ourselves, NOT sharing a bathroom with 20 other people has been awesome. I will also miss not having access to my car. Granted, I didn’t really need my car freshman year, but there is just something about the accessibility to freedom, and the major convenience it brought me this summer was invaluable.

However, I probably will be in the minority when I say that I will also miss all the writing that I did this summer. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to write for a college website called Uloop. At Uloop, the editors gave me free rein to write about anything I wanted (as long as it was relatable to college students). Whether it was movies that were snubbed at the Oscars or summer bucket lists, it was actually fun to write about things I truly enjoy.

The comic book superhero Spider-Man is widely known for his moral “With great power comes great responsibility.” If you replace “power” with “freedom”, the words still ring true. At college, I am free to make my own choices, but they still must be logical. I still have to respect people, stay away from drugs, learn to advocate for myself, keep old friends while making new ones, and of course, stay focused on my studies, all while remaining true to myself.