Forget summer break, stay on campus as long as you can
It’s OK to choose your college friends over family
My dad likes to remind me of three things whenever I go back to school: “Have fun. Be safe. Graduate.” He also likes to remind me that my college experience is mine and mine alone. I own it. I get to make it what it is. I take that advice to heart. My freshman year of college I hardly went home at all, choosing to adventure and meet new people rather than return to the familiarity of home.
It felt a little cruel choosing people I had known for less than a year over my own family, but those people I spent the weekends with – some of who I still speak to and some who will never be in my life again – made my weekends into memories I will keep forever.
My floormates and I after a midnight game of manhunt
My birthday was in September, just a few weeks after college move-in day. I didn’t go home, and although it was weird being away from my family for my birthday, it’s a day I’ll never forget.
My friends and I stayed up all night, and at 4am we drove to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had rented and borrowed some camping equipment, propane burners, mixing bowls and a boy who knew how to cook in the woods. We hiked in the dark to the top of a mountain, racing the sun. We deviated from the trail a few times, tripped over roots and shined flashlights over caverns.
Looking back, it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but it was so fun. It was colder than we expected, having shoved seven people in a car meant for five on the way there, body heat assuring us we didn’t need our jackets. When we got to the top of the mountain, it was still dark. People sang happy birthday to me as we climbed the last bit of the trail. It was magical.
My friends and I at the top of the mountain
The sun was peeking over the ridge around 6am. We ate our pancakes and bacon on top of the mountain as other hikers with the same idea slowly climbed over the last ridge. We shared blankets with strangers, swapped stories, traded pancakes for water that we had forgotten with our jackets. Imperfect perfection.
Of course, not every weekend in college will contain whimsical hikes up the mountain in the middle of the night. The sunrise won’t always be beautiful. Netflix is a viable option for your Saturday. I guess my point is that people are right when they say college is the best four years of your life – you just have to make it that way.
It’s OK to go home if you’re lonely or if you need to recharge. Just don’t forget about all the memories waiting to happen if you’re only brave enough to stay and make them.