You finally did it! You made it past four years of studying, finals, dealing with financial aid, and all of the other crazy ups and downs of college life. Now it’s finally here… the real world! Whether you’re already working at your new full-time job, or you’re still in the market for your dream position, you’ve probably come to realize that you may have taken some things for granted in college.
As temperatures begin to topple just five degrees past sweltering and beach selfies begin popping up in your Instagram feed, something may have crossed your mind: it’s time for summer break, but you no longer get one. We have tears too, but before we say RIP to those magical three months where everything is right in the world and you feel as free as a seabird, let’s all take a moment of silence, as we reminisce on that magical time we once called “summer break.”
1. Sleep, sleep, sleep
Sleeping in until noon, midday naps on the beach, passing out in the middle of a Netflix marathon and waking up and doing it all over again; does life get any better? The best part of summer break was gaining the ability to finally catch up on the sleep that you missed out on for the past few months!
2. Spontaneous adventures
Who could forget the days where you could simply grab a group of girlfriends, hop in the car, and just drive? Before the days of “holiday hours,” “PTO,” and “sick days,” it was easy to round up the gang at a moment’s notice for a little trip to the beach or a drive up the coast for the weekend. Now with student loan payments, car payments, rent, and more, it seems that the only trip you’ll be taking is to the bank.
3. Friends for days
We were once able to send out a quick group text to plan a last minute meet-up at happy hour, but now with everyone’s different lives, schedules and locations, it’s nearly impossible to get together. “After college, in order to get friends together, you need to have more of a set occasion or event to bring everyone together. Although it’s difficult to have spur of the moment meet ups, it makes big get-togethers that much more special because they happen less often,” says Tamika Sloan, a 2005 graduate from University of Hawai’i.
4. Free as a bird
After months of being told what to do by professors and feeling like a slave to your laptop and textbooks, it was great to finally be able to break out of your chains during summer break. No one to report to, no one to tell you what to do… nothing but sweet freedom!
5. Unlimited time to do anything you want
One of the most wonderful things about summer break was the fact that, for once, the essence of time was on our side. No more midnight deadlines, and racing against the clock for class, exams, and the like. Our hobbies could finally be taken off the backburner and we had time to do the things we loved like painting, running, reading… or just a ton of Netflix.
6. Spending time with family
Although it was nice to establish your independence in college, you’ve got to admit that nothing beats the feeling of finally coming home to your family in the summer. The smell of your house, your mom’s cooking, or big bear hugs from your dad; it doesn’t get much better than that. Sure, it’s nice to finally graduate and make your family proud with your newfound career, but one thing we’ll always miss about summer is that special time spent with family.
7. Sun-kissed skin
The tropical smell of sunscreen, the warm feeling of the sun against your skin… is there a better feeling? As college grads, we’ll definitely miss the long days spent outside without a care in the world. Whether you’re out at the beach, playing sports, or at a music festival, nothing beats the feeling of fun in the sun!
From bonfires to picnics, late night parties to river rafting, there’s an endless amount of things we’ll miss this summer! But as college grads, we can still have so much to look forward to, even if it does have to be on the weekends. So get out there and enjoy the warm weather!