Like any student nearing the end of the school year, I was so happy for exams to be over and summer to begin. And now as the summer is reaching an end, I’m just as anxious to be getting back to Bloomington – in fact, I’m more excited about going back to school than I’ve ever been before. Every year when all the back-to-school supplies start hitting the shelves, it hits me that I have to go back to the rhythm of going to class, doing homework, and seeing friends that I don’t see as often over break. Sure, I’m not looking forward to some of the work, but after a long summer, I want a little change. Now that I’m in college, though, I’m even more anxious to get back to school. But that’s only because it means I get to go back to Bloomington and the IU campus.
So naturally, I have compiled a list of the top six things I miss most about campus and the surrounding city.
- Kirkwood– Nowhere at home is there a street like Kirkwood or 4th Street. There are so many options for food that it’s overwhelming and wonderful at the same time. You could be craving anything from Chinese fast food to authentic Turkish cuisine and it will be either on Kirkwood or 4th Street. That sort of variety compressed into a couple of blocks is hard to find anywhere else, and to have it just walking distance from your dorm is amazing.
- Being able to walk almost anywhere – This stems from the previous point, but it’s something I miss for reasons besides having a variety of cuisines only 15 minutes from where I live. In one year at IU, I’ve gotten so used to being able to walk wherever I need to go in less than 20 minutes that now I hate having to drive where I want to go. If I wanted to hang out with my friends and watch a movie, I could simply walk to their room less than five minutes away (at most). At home, a lot of my closest friends live at least a five minute drive away, and there’s always the rising price of gas that makes me hesitate when I want to visit college friends three hours away. Not to mention that for me, work was also walking distance at IU. Point is, I loved being able to walk to all of the places I needed or wanted to go.
- Classes– Okay, okay. This one is a bit iffy. But college classes are nothing like high school classes, and I can’t help but enjoy them. What I love about college is the amount of freedom you’re given to choose your classes, making it so much more likely that you would enjoy going to them. Most of my classes in the last two semesters were small, and it allowed me to meet and interact with some pretty awesome and hilarious people. My creative writing class, for example, had about thirteen students, and by the end of the semester, we had created inside jokes and were sad to see the class end. It’s these little things that I miss and look forward to.
- The numerous events that happen every week – So many things happen on a normal week on campus that it’s overwhelming. At the same time, though, I’ve found myself at events I would normally not have had the opportunity to attend at home. In the last year, I’ve been to a ballroom dancing session, seen a belly dance performance, and played Mario Cart while wearing beer goggles. All of these things happen on and around campus, and honestly, you never know what sort of event you’ll find next.
- Baked/Insomnia Cookies– Being able to order fresh warm cookies with toppings and dough of your choosing at nearly all hours of the day/night only happens in college towns – and only big college towns at that. Who wouldn’t miss that?
- The Union– Allow me to list everything that is awesome about the IMU: comfy couches, quiet areas to study, Starbucks, free movies on weekends, Barnes & Noble bookstore, bowling, and so many other things that I’m failing to remember and mention. The Union is a fantastic place to pass time between classes by studying or taking a nap. On weekends it offers movies that have recently been released in theaters for free. It’s also a great place to meet for group projects. Not to mention how convenient U-bucks are when you transfer them from your I-Bucks account. I honestly have missed spending time at the Union and lunch there during the week.
So there you have it - the things I miss the most! There’s less than a month left of summer, and I’m ready to go back to campus.