Things you learn to appreciate once you’re in college
Home is where the heart is
With college comes change, and sometimes, with change, comes a reflection upon your past. If you’re anything like me, you never appreciated some of the smaller, yet finer, advantages of living at home nearly as much as you did after going off to college.
As a student here at The Ohio State University, attending such a large school with so many students was quite the adjustment – I mean, I thought my high school population of about 523 was huge. Aside from the obvious difference in population size, there’s many other differing aspects between living at home versus going off to college.
For me, these differences helped me gain a new sense of appreciation for things I took for granted while growing up at home.
Home
Easily the first thing which comes to mind. In high school, I always dreamed about the day I would finally move out of my home, into a college dorm or my own place, and officially be independent from my parents. Today, I can honestly admit I spent too much time wanting to grow up faster and move out than I did appreciating living at home and the company of my family.
As much as I absolutely love spending weekends around campus, going out with my closest friends, I thoroughly enjoy the weekends I get to take a break from college life and go home. Few things in life beat being able to use MY own shower, sleep in MY bed in MY room, eat MY moms cooked meals all under the same roof as MY family.
Since going off to college, I am so grateful for the occasional weekends I spend eating meals and binge watching Parks and Recreation on Netflix with my family. Being home truly is bitter-sweet.
My moms homemade stuffed cabbage rolls – Polish and delicious!
Pets
Nothing beats the feeling of running through the doors at home screaming your dogs name and seeing them fly around the corner and jump up into your arms… unless that’s just me. My dog is a member of my immediate family and I miss her just as much as, if not more, than my siblings at times.
Merely thinking about being at school and not being able to see my happy pup everyday waiting for me as I walk in the door or cuddle and nap on the couch with her makes me miss living at home. Dogs are basically the equivalent of therapy, hence why anytime someone around campus or in class has a dog with them everyone else is immediately in awe. Post-college me definitely appreciates my pup more than ever, especially with all the stress of school work – i’m sure the same goes for all you cat people out there, or whatever furry friend you miss while you’re away at school.
Sister, brother, Lucy, and myself
Walking, walking, and more walking
- One: you don’t have a car on campus
- Two: there’s no available parking
Not only does having to walk nearly everywhere suck, but having to trudge rain, snow and slush sucks even more. That’s the beauty of Ohio, though, I guess. One minute you could be walking to class in sunshine and the next minute there could be a torrential downpour in which you’re soaked by the time you get to class. My personal favorite – having to trudge through the snow and arctic-like wind blasts freezing the tears streaming down your face.
It’s no lie the weather in Ohio is anything shy of bipolar and crappy, and having to walk through it all is just the icing on the cake. This dreadful experience most definitely helps us appreciate some of the finer things in life, such as being able to walk fifteen feet out your front door and into your car that’s conveniently parked in your driveway.
Winter 2016 fashion advice from OSU freshman student Natalie Horrigan
Hometown vibes
Don’t get me wrong, Ohio State’s campus is truly the best college campus, and I live for the weekend specials at many of the bars on Hight Street – but it is nice to go home and enjoy a more suburban-like atmosphere. As many of you can likely relate, my hometown is much less busy than any college campus. The lack of a bustling night life strip, city-like traffic, and overload of students and yuppies makes for a quiet and calm stay. Eating at my favorite local eateries, visiting old coworkers and being surrounded by my smaller-knit community in a highly familiar area make going home worth-while.
Medina, Ohio’s historical public square
High school friends
I’ve been fortunate enough to make some lifelong friends here at Ohio State, but that doesn’t make me miss my day-one friends any less. Being that most of my closest high school friends and I were on the varsity swim team and worked as lifeguards at the same pool, we spent a lot of time together. Luckily, we are all still just as close and any time we are all reunited in our hometown is nothing shy of a crazy, good time.
After going off the college, I saw a whole new meaning to the quote, “home is where the heart is”. Each time I come home to visit, I am reminded of the perfect simplicity of my hometown. My appreciation for my hometown, family, and friends will continue to expand as I spend more and more time away and I’ll always look forward to weekends I return.