College. Those were some of the best years of my life and every day since I graduated it has felt weird knowing I’m not going back. It’s still taking some time for me to get used to the life of a post-graduate, especially because so many things have changed. While there are many reasons why post-grad life can bring you into a slight funk, here are my personal top 10 reasons for why I miss college.
1. Being Around Friends 24/7
Probably the most obvious difference about graduating college, all of my friends have moved back home or to new places with new jobs and new lives. Not having them around to ask if my outfit looks good or to vent about something or to give them my leftover food is quite depressing.
2. Knowing My Friends’ Schedules Inside and Out
When you live with your friends, you know when they’ll be back from class or where they are at night. Part of the reason is because 95% of the time their schedules line up with yours. Knowing when my friends are busy made it easier to plan things and find time to talk to them about anything important. Getting everyone together now is almost impossible and trying to talk to your friends when they’re not busy can be even harder.
3. Student Loans Are Irrelevant
I haven’t even started paying mine off yet but I have been stressing about them since the end of college. I can no longer be in denial, college is expensive. And now I have to pay for it! Literally. In college, loans were somewhat of a foreign object, not even a worry in my mind. Now I just have to prepare for the horribleness of being in debt for the next decade.
4. Sleeping In
Having classes canceled or choosing your own schedule can result in awesome benefits, such as getting to sleep in. Not only that, but now that I have a full time job, my brain is wired to wake up by 9 AM even on the weekends. I just miss the pleasure of sleeping in without having any errands that need to be accomplished.
5. Not Having to Rely on Myself Financially
Hello Mom and Dad, remember me? Your favorite daughter? The one who’s poor and still needs money? Wow thank god for parents because I would have been miserable in college without having help from them. Whatever I wasted money on, I never had to worry too much because I know I could always turn to my parents if I really needed help.
6. Extremely Long Vacations
I haven’t really had to come to terms with this yet because I had the whole summer off, but I know come December when my sister is home and get’s an entire month off the reality will sink in. Gone are the days where I can do literally nothing for a month. From now on, my life revolves around when I work. That’s a scary thought.
7. Having an Existent Alcohol Tolerance
Yeah, so I had my fair share of bad nights in college, as do many students. I built up a great tolerance, had a lot of fun, and, I won’t lie, gained some weight. So while not being in that environment has led me to be healthier and has saved me money, it has also caused my tolerance to nose dive. Give me one drink, and I’ll feel it.
8. Easily Accessible Eye-Candy
I miss boys being everywhere. Yes, I work in an office and there are men everywhere, but I stay in my cubicle for most of the day with little interaction and it’s quite sad. It was so much easier to meet boys (and I say boys, because 99% of them were still boys in college) during those 4 years.
9. Wearing Whatever I Want in Public
If I wanted to wear sweats to class, that was acceptable. If I wanted to wear a dress, that was acceptable. Yes, there are judge-y people everywhere, but at the end of the day you really have the freedom to wear whatever you want in college. Let me tell you, having to fix my hair, wear makeup everyday, and plan professional outfits for every day is so tedious that I’m already sick of it.
10. Being a Kid
I am officially an adult. I have a job, I have bills, I still live at home (but not for long), I have to run errands… it is real – I am an adult. In college, you’re a kid. You might have responsibilities and a lot of work to do but you still have time to have fun and hang out with friends whenever you want.
Don’t get me wrong, post-grad life has it’s perks, but I will miss the heck out of college. At times things can get overwhelming, but just breathe, get through the tough times, and enjoy the fun times, because those will be some of the best times of your life.