Between all of the nights out and house parties, making sure you’re home to watch Countdown / Home and Away every afternoon, and showing your face at the odd lecture, college life can be pretty exhausting. Hey, stealing road signs and traffic cones in the middle of the night can really take it out of you.
Sometimes, however, being a student really can get a bit much and the only way to sort yourself out is to take a trip home to Mam and Dad for a serious dose of TLC.
Here are seven signs you know it’s time to go home for the weekend…
You can’t remember the last time you had a good night’s sleep
You went out five nights on the trot earlier in the week, and even though you decided to have an early night last night, your crazy housemates didn’t follow your lead. Spending the hours of 3am to 5am listening to Black Sabbath blaring through the paper-thin walls is the last straw and you know it’s time to reunite yourself with your childhood bed.
You’re starting to notice early signs of scurvy
Well, you think it might be scurvy. It’s funny how when you move out of home, fruits and vegetables no longer magically appear in the fridge and our lunchboxes. You’re in serious need of a couple of home-cooked dinners and there’s only one woman for the job.
You’ve absolutely nothing left to wear
You’ve had the same jeans on for much longer than four days now. You’re not sure how the washing machine works, you’re too embarrassed to ask your flatmates and you’ve never ironed anything in your life. The only solution is to stuff it all in a bag, head home and leave it beside the washing machine. Someone will take care of it.
You’re on the verge of failing an exam
Who knew you actually needed to study to pass college exams? Actually, they’re really hard to pass. Why did nobody tell you? A break away from the madness of campus life and a couple of days locked in a quiet room at home should do the trick.
You really want a decent shower…
Without the guilt. Your flatmate’s obsession with the water charges means you haven’t felt properly clean in weeks. A trip home means a hot shower longer than three minutes, and if you’re feeling really crazy, you might even have a bath.
You’re starting to think your parents have forgotten what you look like
You’ve had one too many ‘Are you still in the land of the living?’ texts from Mam, you’re starting to feel really bad about missing Dad’s birthday and you’re getting a guilt trip from your older sister. One family-filled weekend will rid you of all of the guilt, and you might even enjoy yourself.
You’re starting to think your dog has forgotten what you look like
And it’s keeping you awake at night (even when Black Sabbath isn’t blaring in the kitchen). It’s OK to miss the dog. Head home, spend some quality time together and you’ll be best friends again before you know it.
If you’re experiencing any or whole of the above and you know it’s time to go home, head on over to http://www.irishrail.ie/students for discounted ticket fares – click here to book.