With the holiday season upon us, some students living at Pace are beginning to mentally prepare before going home for Thanksgiving and winter break. Living on campus gives many students a sense of independence that they do not have at home. I live on campus because I craved this independence, as do many other students. Thus, going back to your parents’ house, for some, is a source of stress. This stress can be partly because of losing the sense of college independence upon going back home.
Personally, I don’t get so stressed out with going home. It’s a bit annoying having a curfew after spending a whole semester without one, and it’s weird going back to a house always full of children after living in a dorm full of young adults. Still, I don’t mind going home. Other students have differing opinions.
“I love going home,” sophomore nursing major Asma Vohra said. “Whenever I’m on campus, I have a lot of work, which is what causes stress for me. Being at home, I can relax more easily while still being productive. I try to go home once or twice a month, but this semester I haven’t had time to go home that often. I like being around family.”
Other students are not looking forward to going home for upcoming holiday breaks.
“There’s nothing to do at home. Here, you’re always active. There’s always homework, there’s always something to do,” sophomore communications major Steve Cosentino said.
This college activity, in my opinion, can be associated with independence. It is up to the student to go to class, to get involved, to make friends, and to go to activities available on campus. Going back home, the activity suddenly stops and you are, in some cases, stuck with family activities and stuck being dependent on parents once again.
“I’m excited to go home for Thanksgiving break, that’s only a few days,” sophomore psychology major Christina Miller said. “Not so much for winter break, because I’ll be home for so long. It’s like going back to being the kid again.”
Being the kid again… I can relate to that. I love being with my family. But I don’t love having a curfew and an obligation to babysit my brother. Still, I love going home, and there are perks to not having college independence. Free food is one of these perks. Good food is another one. Being surrounded by family is a major reason that going home, for some, is looked forward to.
No matter what your home situation is like, most of us have to leave campus for the holidays and are already getting mentally prepared to make the switch from college lifestyle to home lifestyle.