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There’s a specific kind of whiplash that hits around Day 3 of summer break. For me, it looks like putting my clothes back into the drawers I’ve used my whole life, my mom sarcastically commenting on my poor sleep schedule and realizing I once again have to share a car with my brother, something neither of us missed. The last two semesters have been spent managing my own time, cooking my own food and making decisions without a second, third or fourth opinion.

Welcome home, sort of.

This tension isn’t anyone’s fault. College changes your brain — your rhythms, your autonomy, your sense of identity when nobody’s watching. But your childhood home hasn’t changed nearly as much as you, and neither have the people in it. Failing to confront this reality will lead to spending the summer straddling two versions of yourself, feeling like a guest in both places.

It’s crucial to distinguish life at home from life at school, but this doesn’t mean everything has to........

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