All this time as home has certainly given students a time to reflect on the life at school that’s now being put on hold. Sure, everyone misses their friends, sports, and being free to go wherever without the constraints of social distancing. But what about some of the not-so-great parts of college life?

Maybe it was that 8 a.m. on Monday that you wanted so badly to skip or perhaps the long Chick-Fil-A line in the HUB everyday at noon. How about the long walks across campus to classes that seemed mile apart or those chilly days that you had to put on so many layers you could barely move your arms?

Whatever it may be, as annoying as certain things seemed, a lot of our staffers agree they’d rather be at school with all its conveniences than stuck at home without any of its perks. Here’s what they didn’t expect they’d miss.

Alysa Rubin: Noisy Neighbors

I never thought I’d miss my noisy neighbors. From sleepless nights to running into random people on my way back from the shower, I was excited to finally get home and have a hallway to myself. Needless to say, things didn’t turn out as expected. I’d much rather be back at school and have noise at night than be stuck with my siblings.

Katie Moats: Morning walks up Shortlidge

Those treks used to be the worst part of my day because they were just constant reminders of how out of shape I was. However, now that I’m limited to walking around my house, I’m really starting to miss climbing a small mountain every morning and actually hitting my step goals.

Dana Nunemacher: Garbage Trucks

During Summer Session, I lived in Simmons Hall. My roommate and I left our window open 24/7 because it was always so hot in our room. This led to my alarm being the garbage truck that came promptly at 6:20 every single morning. I moved out of Simmons after Summer Session, but hearing the garbage trucks around campus would bring back the memories of that horrible alarm. Now, if I had to pick between quarantine or those garbage trucks, I would pick that 6:20 wake up call if I meant I could go home <3.

Emma Dieter: Obnoxious Whoop/Bloop Stop Waits

While I might be a senior now, I won’t deny that I do still take the Whoop and/or Bloop on occasion. The best part about the two free bus systems is the fact that they’re, well, free. Unfortunately, because they’re free, they’re also not all that reliable. I’d often find myself waiting as long as 20 minutes for a Whoop on campus or a Bloop off. As I prepare to enter the working world, I realize that I will soon also need to start paying for public transportation. So although those lines drive me crazy, I’d rather experience the beauty of their free transportation than look back fondly on the memory of it.

Colleen Nersten: Canyon Pizza

I can’t complain about having home-cooked, delicious meals every night, but boy do I miss Canyon Pizza. Of course, it’s not the taste but rather the ~experience~. I would do anything for one more 3 a.m. night with my crew. I’ll never take you for granted again, my dear Canyon. You were good to me.

Gabe Angieri: In-Person Classes

Something I miss about Penn State that I didn’t think I would is actual in-person classes. After going through a few weeks of “Zoom University,” I will never take for granted in-person and in-class interaction ever again. I’ve been pretty frustrated with Zoom and needing to do all my classwork, online, and it really makes me miss waking up in the morning to walk to class. I really wish I was taking a 20-minute walk across campus in the freezing cold right now.

Mira DiBattiste: HUB Lines

One thing I didn’t think I’d miss is the HUB Starbucks line for, well, obvious reasons. It’s always a mile long to pay $6 for a coffee. And even though I can make coffee at home, getting a Starbucks coffee in the HUB was usually the start of a really productive study session for me. I always had a gap between classes that allowed me to just sit down with a coffee and get work done, and that home coffee just doesn’t give me that same motivation.

Lindsay Tagliere: State College Traffic & Pedestrians

State College traffic has always been No. 1 on my list of things I swear I’ll never miss, but as I drive around the empty streets of my hometown, no pace cars to control my lead foot, I find myself longing for the bumper-to-bumper traffic of College Ave. Being on high alert for pedestrians outside the Den or Bar Bleu every night gave me a certain level of excitement that I’ve been seeking since March 7. I yearn for the day I can angrily creep across town towards South Atherton once again.

Lauren Wysseier: Dorm Life

Going into my freshman year, the one thing I dreaded was adjusting to the dorm life. I met my roommate on the Penn State Class of 2023 Facebook group, as many do, and I was incredibly nervous to live in such close quarters with someone I barely knew. We lived in one of the oldest dorm buildings in East…good ol’ Snyder. As the year went on, we quickly became best friends; we ate dinner together, went out together on the weekends, even showered at the same time in our communal bathroom to talk about our day through the stalls. I couldn’t believe how lucky I got with my roommate. Not to mention, I made the best of friends on my dorm floor. Now that I’m home for the semester, I find myself wishing I was back in my tiny, dusty dorm room with my best friends. Never take the dorm life for granted, because some of my favorite memories from freshman year came from it.