Students should know it’s OK to go home

By Jessica Hubble | Multimedia Journalist

In college, there is a common misconception about going home for the weekend. Some people look down upon it, wondering why someone would want to go home, and judge others for doing so.

I experienced this judgement even in high school. All of my high school friends never understood why I wasn’t going to school out of state and why I decided to go to school an hour and a half away. There were many reasons why I chose to go to a close school, such as Baylor felt like home, I was being offered scholarships and I did not want or need to be 1,000 miles from my house. I wanted to be able to get home easily.

I then really experienced this same judgement my freshman year of college. My roommates always made snide side remarks anytime I would go home, or anytime anyone we knew would. I always felt pressured to stay in Waco and not go visit my family.

I’m not saying going home EVERY weekend is healthy, or a good thing. Young adults need to learn how to be independent and be able to survive on their own, but going back occasionally isn’t a bad thing.

Going home can be therapeutic and a good way to take a step back and refresh, because the people there care about me the most and are the ones that know me the best. They always have my best interests in mind. Sometimes I just need my Momma’s cooking and a hug from my Dad. Sometimes I just need the calm of my childhood house and the cuddles of my childhood dog instead of the bustle of a college town. Sometimes I just need to decompress and leave behind the stresses of school.

There is no reason to condemn someone for going home every once in a while. It doesn’t mean I can’t stand being away from home. I am still able to immerse myself in all the Baylor traditions and take in as much as I can, I just need a breather every once in a while. Don’t we all?