The title of my “return to school” blog has been taken from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. For one of my best friends and I, this quote has became the unofficial motto of every summer since our senior year of high school.

It’s also completely true.

Because while I love the hustle and bustle of the academic year, there’s also something special about going home to the suburbs and laying in bed all day and weighing down your backpack with library books on a weekly basis.

That’s not to say that I didn’t also spend this summer being extremely busy – I moved out, learned to cook and worked 24 – 30 hours a week. But it was also nice to get an academic break before heading back to Loyola for my junior year.

Not that I’m not excited for this year: I started my mental health clinical last week, I’m taking some pretty cool nursing classes (pharamocology, say what?), I’m on exec board for Alpha Phi Omega, have been accepted into Alpha Sigma Nu, I’m becoming a quote unquote runner (see: the 5k I’m running tomorrow morning!), and still working, amongst other things.

I know this year is going to be crazy busy, and I’m sure I’ll be stressed and frazzled and have my fair share of all nighters that end in me confusing bikers wearing all black as a Nazgul (longgggg story), but I know that this school season is also going to be just as great as my summer season, and I can’t wait to share it with you!