There are tons of perks when it comes to moving far away for college—the adventure, the opportunity to meet people from around the country, and of course the fact that your parents can’t drive down for a “surprise” visit when you’re horrifically hung over.
As amazing as it is to pick up and move across the country, there are also times when you wish you were close enough to sleep in your childhood bed or drown your post-exam sorrows at your hometown happy hour.
Here are the seven most relatable struggles that everyone ultimately faces when they move away for college:
1. People don’t even care about your favorite sports team
Or even worse, they hate you for bragging when your team wins.
2. No one understands what you’re talking about
Prepare to get some blank stares when you try to explain to someone from the West Coast why Dunkin’ Donuts is the greatest or refer to a sub sandwich as a hoagie or po’boy.
3. Airports (enough said)
Even a neck pillow and an overpriced glass of wine (or three) can’t cure the pain of an airport layover. You’re guaranteed to be jealous of your friends who can just hop in the car instead of being doomed to a life of convincing the bag check lady that your suitcase is under 50 pounds.
4. You look permanently weather-confused
If your college’s climate is even remotely different from the weather at home there’s a fifty percent chance that you’re going look like you forgot to check the weather before you left the house. It’s no fun to have to rush ship your first winter coat when it becomes clear that those light sweaters you wore at home aren’t cutting it in sub-zero temperatures.
5. Puppy snuggles are few and far between
The miles separating you and man’s best friend are the absolute worst. Your next best option is begging your parents to help your dog FaceTime you.
6. Food cravings are so real
If only you could overnight a taco (and lets be real, a margarita too) from your favorite Mexican place or get your mom’s spaghetti and meatballs delivered right to your door at 2 AM to stress eat. You’re bound to be unreasonably envious of your friends who can drive home on a whim for a real home cooked meal (damn you, dining hall food).
7. The laundry struggle never ends
Speaking of shipping, there’s absolutely no way that your mom is going to let you send her a box of your dirty clothes to wash. On a brighter note, she’ll probably take your call when you forget (for the millionth time) whether you’re supposed to wash your whites in hot or cold and when you inevitably shrink your favorite shirt in to a child-sized crop top.
