There’s a certain trend that occurs among Northwestern students that I like to call the Three-Day Phenomenon.
The way it works is that for any break or seasonal vacation, you’ll go home and sleep in your own bed, use your own shower and find all that great free time to get the relaxation that you so desperately needed. And then, after about three days, you’re ready to go back to school.
But unfortunately, once you get back to Evanston, you’ll catch up with all your NU friends for about three days before you slump down onto your futon, dive into an industrial-sized carton of Goldfish and say to yourself, “Damn… I want to be home.”
Freshmen, you may not understand this now, but you’ll soon become familiar with this phenomenon. In my experience, it has affected most, if not all, of my friends. Some might just call it ‘eternal homesickness’ (because, after all, many of us consider NU a second home), but it’s happened to me every single time I’ve been away from and subsequently back at school.
As my roommate puts it, it’s a matter of diminishing marginal returns and something about utility. I don’t really remember much about econ, but it’s all related to getting what you need at the lowest possible cost. You allow for the minimal essential family time, the highest marginal utility of bed rest, and the lowest cost of showering without sandals needed to operate at maximum efficiency (someone please take Intro to Micro with me next quarter).
Why does this happen? It’s not like I have anything against my family. It simply seems to me, though, that I get what I need from each aspect of my life, and continually want what I can’t have at the moment. When I want my fraternity house, I’m stuck at home, and when I want home, I’m stuck in a town where my biggest thrill comes from jaywalking across Sheridan.
I know what I want in life – good grades, a great career and a girl who will bear me four to six children – but I don’t know what I want when it comes to this situation. And I bring this to you, Forum readers, because I want you to think about what you want this Thanksgiving and winter break. That’s right, I’m getting all philosophically Oprah on you.
Thanksgiving break – the college student’s equivalent of afternoon nap time – is only a few hours away. During your brief time off you might find yourself ruminating on the non-textbook-related thoughts inside your head.
Did you wear enough purple this quarter? Did you make enough new friends that you’ve got an entire list of people to mass-text on Christmas Day? Did you pursue opportunities that will secure you an incredible internship, or did you put up pictures on Facebook that will absolutely deny you one?
This is the last Daily column until January. I wish you all a great Chrismukkah, Kwanzaa and Festivus, and I hope that you’ll actually listen to what I say over the holidays.
Take this brief respite from the hardships of college life to think about why you love this school, and why you’re so ready to come back to it after being away for only three days. There’s a reason why we miss home, and there’s a reason why we miss Northwestern.
