How are college students spending their summer breaks?

Most people travel to escape the hectic pace of their everyday lives. The life of a college student, however, is anything but a normal pace. Students come from all over the country and world and so naturally spend less time with their family and friends during their summers away. In an effort to “get away from it all,” students go through with this goal of getting out of their hometown and venture to new places to enjoy the experiences and find out about the world.

“I chose to go to Europe after high school to have a great summer trip and get out of my hometown,” said junior Kristy Harbstreet.

While this may seem like a very easy decision, college students are faced with having to find transportation, housing, friends, a place to stay and to buy food.

In fact, when college students leave home to live in a dorm, they are also faced with a financial struggle of staying on a budget, as the dorm system is meant for free students and not for students who are financially responsible. This is why many students opt to stay home. The list of “comforts” that home offers are greatly missed, even though home is just 20 miles away from campus. The only real advantage of going away is the freedom that college students have. They have more time to spend with friends and family. They have more money to spend on activities. They have more time to read for class. However, there is also the danger that a great summer break could come to an end without any plans. For many, this could be the reason for a few not returning home after their trip.

“I try not to think about the fact that I am away from home for the summer,” said junior Lola Roe.

The idea of having free time to do things like meet new people, sleep in late and have all day long to do nothing are all things college students would do to occupy their time during the summer break. Some people will leave home for more than just a summer break, but many are bound to stay closer to home.

College students also choose to leave the summer breaks early for work.

Some colleges require students to return to campus for a certain number of hours during the summer. Other colleges do not require any summer classes and students can stay on campus and not be required to return until the fall.

There is also the possibility of traveling and playing sports. During the summer months, the campus can become an alternate home away from home. Many college students make sure to spend as much time as they can with their teammates.

“I normally don’t leave campus in the summer because I stay close to campus so I can go to all the practices with the team,” said senior Drew Mercer.

But how are college students spending their summer breaks?

“I usually don’t do anything with my family during the summer,” said Harbstreet. “I just do my own thing.”

“I always go home to South Carolina to visit my family and play with my cousins at my aunt’s house,” said freshman Madison Smith.

It’s almost always recommended for college students to take a summer break away from campus.