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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

I have hidden it. I have felt ashamed of it. But I am here to finally admit that I am a suitcase student.

I spend the week at school, attending classes and sleeping in my dorm, but the minute I’m done with my last class on Friday afternoons I am hopping in the car and driving away as fast as I can.

This has been my normal since the first month of freshman year. But I have felt ashamed of this part of my routine because it feels as if I will be judged for not having the normal “college experience”. This shame I felt towards myself caused a lot of unneeded anxiety and pressure that weighed on me anytime I wasn’t at school.

I’m done with that. I’m sick of feeling like I am wrong for doing what makes me the most comfortable.

Going home every weekend provides me time to do things for myself. It’s a way for me to relax, a way to get away from the stress of schoolwork and a way to connect with my best friends.

When I’m home, I get to spend time with the people that understand me best. That means I can talk with them and work through issues that have been plaguing me. Seeing my people also refills my social battery for the week.

I also get to work when I’m home. I’m so lucky to be able to say that I have a job that allows me to come back on the weekends and work a shift or two for some extra cash. It’s also a bonus that I work with my best friend as well.

Here’s the best part: I get to see my kitten every time I go home. My roommate and I recently just got a kitten, and every weekend I get to go home and receive the best kind of therapy: kitten therapy. I can work on my homework while a small, purring fluffball sleeps on my lap.

Now I know what I’m missing here. I know that I am missing out on the moments with my friends at school when they hang out without me. And sometimes I do feel like I’m missing out on these moments, but I’m confident in my friendships. I’m not afraid of losing friends because I don’t go out with them every weekend.

This points to the main reason I go home on the weekends: I don’t go out. I feel more left out when I’m here on the weekends and all the people I know are getting ready to go out without me.

My mentality: why stay at school in my dorm doing nothing when I can be with my best friends and working at home?

I may lose that social aspect of my college life, but I am involved all around campus. I work my butt of during the week to keep up my 4.0 and be involved in 5 different clubs. And I do stay at school when I want to attend a fun event during the weekends. If there is a Her Campus event on a Friday or Saturday night, you bet I’m going to be there.

In my experience, I am not missing out on any important aspect of my college experience.

It had taken me all my freshman year to come to this peace within myself. I finally let the weight of expectations around my failed “college experience” go. I accepted that I must do what is best for me.

Abigail Taber is a second-year writer for the St. Bonaventure chapter of Her Campus. She enjoys writing about culture, entertainment, and the happenings in her college life. Abigail is excited to shadow the editing team this year and to be a part of such a cool organization that centers around the work and interests of women. Beyond Her Campus, Abigail is the poetry editor for the literary magazine on campus, The Laurel, a member of College Democrats, and SBU for Equality. Abigail has had her creative writing published in both her high school's and university's literary magazines. She is currently a sophomore at St. Bonaventure University, double majoring in English as well as Literary Publishing and Editing. In her free time, Abigail, or Abbey to her friends, enjoys reading, listening to music, and looking at art for her next tattoo. She is a music trivia master and a known enjoyer of any, and all, romance books. She hopes to pursue a career in publishing books in a big city. Growing up in a small suburb of Buffalo, New York, Abbey hopes to embody the city-of-good-neighbors attitude.