By Lauren Reid | Contributor
My mom lives on the “Baylor Class of 2022 Moms” Facebook page. I’m not sure if its because she’s making friends through it or because I’m over a thousand miles away and don’t call often enough. But she seems to know more about college than me – A first generation college student.
And that’s why I’m not allowed to come home for Thanksgiving break.
Apparently, according to the Baylor moms on that Facebook page, if your child comes home for any break before Christmas, they won’t want to go back to school. So, my mom wants me to stay at Baylor for Thanksgiving.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Baylor and all it has to offer. But from experiencing staying here for fall break, this would be the loneliest Thanksgiving I’d ever spend.
This beautiful campus of 14,000 students becomes an absolute ghost town as soon as those last classes get out. Dining halls close, staff at the front desks of dorms go missing, and all of my suitemates and friends go home.
I know that by staying here, I’m signing up for eating meals at IHOP alone and watching season after season of Gossip Girl on my laptop while snug in my twin XL bed.
Quinn Strassheim, a freshman from Oregon, also chose to stay over the break.
“Plane tickets home are expensive,” he said. “Plus I have finals I can study for.”
That’s one way to look at it. It’s the perfect time to get some studying in while everybody is gone, seeing as there won’t be a lot of distractions – or any at all.
Another freshman, Cadyn LaBounty, said she feels grateful to live only an hour and a half away this holiday season.
“I feel more blessed than anything to be going home because I know not everyone on campus has that opportunity,” she said. “It’s very heartwarming to be with family on such an important holiday.”
And I agree, which is what lead me to make my own decision on where I’d be spending Thanksgiving this year.
So don’t tell my mom, but I’m coming home anyway. After my last class on Monday afternoon, I’ve committing to driving 18 hours to Orlando to surprise my family.
Sorry guys, you can’t get rid of me that easily.
Lauren is a freshman film and digital media major from Orlando, Fla.
