Justin Marinelli
Contributing Writer

As corny as it sounds, some students here love the University so much that they’d stay here all the time. Every year, a fair number of students stick around over the summer. While this does present an amazing number of opportunities, one should take care to find plenty to do.

It’s not uncommon for students to stay over the summer doing research, working on campus or taking class (and sometimes a combination of those options). While this may just sound like the normal school year, there are a few key differences.

The first is you end up having a lot more free time. During the normal semester, it’s easy to get caught up in the flow of classes, activities, catching up with friends you missed over the summer and the barrage of everything else that seems to befall us once the school year kicks in. Over the summer, you don’t get that amount of stimulation unless you actively make sure you have a lot to do (like packing a bunch of books or something).

Additionally, it can get lonely over the summer. While the campus can be a pretty cozy place–and you’re essentially guaranteed to see someone you know on the way to class–it isn’t quite like that over the summer. The place is almost a ghost town in the summer months, and it can certainly feel empty to someone who’s used to seeing the quad covered in people.

Figuring out the issue of food can also be tricky. Meal plans don’t apply over the summer, so one is either forced to rely on dining dollars or frequent the (admittedly many) places in town where food is available.

Now, none of this is to say that you shouldn’t spend summer on campus. Like I said earlier, summer presents some amazing opportunities in terms of research, class and work. It’s also pretty cool to be able to go to the library and not have to search for an open computer, or to go to the gym and not have to wait for machines, weights, the good water fountain, etc. While it may be a bit harder to find social events or things to do at times, by no means is it impossible. You just have to work at it a bit more.

At the end of the day, if you want to stick around over the summer, go for it. Just bring some books you’ve been meaning to read, some snacks and make an effort get to know some of the people on campus.