Early last week I called my mother to talk to her about the rain boots she shipped me (I found out the hard way my old pair had a huge gash in the sole). While we were on the phone, she floated the idea “why don’t you come home for easter?” At first I was apprehensive. I had Open House for accepted students on Saturday and had Escape the Room already booked with my friends for that evening. The earliest I would be able to come home was Sunday morning. Marathon Monday gave me a little wiggle room and I decided that it was okay to miss my Tuesday classes. I hadn’t missed either all semester and I had friends in both classes to take notes for me. Just like that, 45 minutes later tickets were booked to go home.
If you are lucky enough to live within a four hour radius from campus, you should definitely take the opportunity to take a long weekend at home. Its a great reset and a refreshing break from what can seem, at times, like a constantly stressful environment. My sister is abroad in Madrid this semester so my parents are feeling a bit more “empty nest” than normal (as much as they can be with one chick still in the nest). My brother is graduating from high school this year and is in the midst of deciding where to go to college. Plus he’s a star on the volleyball team and I think I’ve only ever seen him play once. So it was important for me to see hime play twice while I was home. I also gave him some advice about how to choose the right school.
Right now, he’s between Ithaca and Syracuse. Just about an hours drive separate the two—but they’re very different. Both of theses schools have excellent communication programs, so I’m sure many of BU’s accepted students have at least one of them in the mix (plus BU, the superior choice, of course). Both programs are great across the board, I would say the decision lies in prestige and where the schools differ. Charming town, small campus or small city, prestige, and athletics? The best thing I can say is visit everywhere if you can. A lot of times the decision is less pros and cons and more of a feeling. I’m sure many of the accepted students who visited the past two weekends may have felt what I’m talking about. A sense of belonging.
One of the downsides to going home is that it might take you out of working mode. Its hard to think about that 15-page paper you have due next week when you’re lying on the couch petting your cat, flipping between Chopped and Tiny House Hunters (I don’t have these channels at school). While it is a nice break, you have to find time to work. Because school doesn’t stop when you get home. Due dates stand and while it can be nice to reset, you don’t want to get too far off because you will quickly fall behind.
The other downside is FOMO. If you don’t know this already, I’m a bit of a grandma: crosswords, cats, podcasts (its like the same thing as radio, right?), and Jeopardy. I was sad when I got a snapchat of my three roommates watching Jeopardy together. Not to mention I missed Marathon Monday (aka the one day a year BU seems like a state school in the flyover states), which was my last opportunity to go while a student at BU because I’m going to be in LA next spring. I was definitely bummed about that. But I got to see a friend from high school I haven’t seen in a year and surprise my grandma instead.
One of the best parts of my visit was being able to see my cats. A lot of people will tell you that one of the worst parts of college is not being able to have pets. Its hard to live without the fluff ball you’ve grown up with. Pets embody home and comfort. That’s why during finals week BU has puppies come for students to play with. Its an instant stress reliever and puts a smile on most people’s faces. Its wholesome and comforting.
I came home to an Easter basket like I had as a kid (but this time with vegan chocolate bunnies homemade by my brother) and a household missing its twin girls. It was nice while it lasted, but I’m shipping up to Boston (ohhh ohh ohh) and I’m looking forward to getting back to classes and working on those 15-page papers (yes, more than one).
