This past fall, I started off the school year with an article entitled "Why I am Glad to Be Back," in which I discussed reasons why I was, in fact, glad to be back at Cornell. Therefore, I not only find it appropriate, but also necessary to finish the year with an article on why I am glad to be leaving Cornell.

Yes, I realize that it is customary for opinion columnists to write their last columns on how it has been a privilege to write for such smart and savvy Cornellians, but armed with the confidence that no one actually reads this column (as a result of you all being smart and savvy), I decided to try something a bit different.

This is not to suggest that I did not enjoy my junior year at Cornell and the 36 credits that accompanied it. In fact, there are things about myself that I have only discovered as a result of attending this great university. For example, I am now aware of my extraordinary fondness for balanced chemical formulas, sociological path diagrams and literature on sadomasochism. Additionally, I have come to appreciate 50 degree weather, the thunderous warnings from the librarian before closing time, as well as any five-foot radius that does not contain a fork-lift. But, just as there is no place like Cornell (which you may or may not appreciate), there is also no place like home.

All year long, you accepted the fact that your college life is not as cool as that of your friends. Your skin is dry and pasty, your physique has hit rock-bottom, and your idea of a night on the town is taking the TCAT to the Commons for some Pad Thai. Summer is the time to even the score. It is the ideal occasion for escaping the arctic chill of Ithaca and the booming clamor of construction. It is the time to relax, catch some rays, brush up on your poker skills and have an all-around good time. Summer is for concerts, road trips, sleeping in and chilling out.

So here's my first reason for why I'm looking forward to the summer: Between text books, late night munchies, bar tabs and gas, you somehow managed to clean out your savings account over the last nine months. If you are anything like me (poor), then you know that summer is time to replenish your wallet (and possibly your closet) by joining the work force. Whether you are suiting up for an internship, sucking up to country club members or scooping up ice cream, employment is a surprisingly popular means of making the moolah. And summer jobs are rewarding! Unlike the Cornell academic experience, which consists of endless hours of hard work and often results in substandard grades, jobs offer a set work schedule and a weekly paycheck to boot. In order to make the most of your well-deserved coinage, my advice is to put half of your earnings into a savings account and spend the other half on me. This way you will not only be prepared for the next school year but you will also improve your social standing by acquiring a new friend.

Movement. It may sound like a simple concept but do not be deceived - Cornell students do not get much of it. In fact, most of us spend the majority of our time at Cornell in a seated position, and the rest of our time standing at the bar. We consume knowledge along with pizza, coffee, bagels and cookies. Our idea of a workout consists of lugging books to the library. We find ourselves breaking into a sweat when we scale a flight of stairs (most likely the result of the elevator being out-of-order). We have not only mastered the Freshman Fifteen but created an entirely new alliteration for packing on the pounds: the Transfer Twenty. This summer, I look forward to leaving behind my sedentary lifestyle at Cornell and using the break as an opportunity to shape up. Although going to the gym a few days a week or walking nine blocks to the office may not seem too ambitious, in comparison with my college stagnation I will be well on my way to competing in a triathlon.

Summer means catching up with your friends. While college companions are there for the all-nighters (and the one-nighters), your friends from home have been there for nearly everything else. From first grade to first kisses, your friends from home know the real you - the one that used to have braces, glasses and a foreign nanny. They know just what to say to cheer you up and exactly what to do to tick you off. They are a part of your family: they have nicknamed your parents, picked up your younger brother from school and taken a guided tour of your father's garden (on at least one occasion). Your friends from home can remember your entire relationship history, your natural hair color and the number of fender benders you've been in (ahem … caused). They can turn a "night in" to a "night to remember" and a perfectly good song into a terribly bad dance. You've missed their company over the barren months of winter, and summer break is the perfect opportunity to catch up on old times.

What is it about sunny days and warm nights that fogs our ability to think clearly? Summer is not only a good time to get lost in mojitos and repeat episodes of 8th & Ocean, but it also is the season of Love. At Cornell, your options are limited; you gave it your best shot, but somehow the chivalrous conduct of frat boys and the cultivated charm of hockey players never quite sparked your interest. The summer provides endless opportunities for romantic rendezvous. Blame it on the understanding that your relationship is just a temporary fling, or on heat stroke, but, whatever it is, summer sparks love. Everyone needs some summer lovin'.

I hope you are now ready to part with Cornell! It may be difficult at first, but I promise that you will survive the summer. I will pray for you.

Naomi Goldin is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be contacted at ngg6@cornell.edu. Kit and Kaboodle appeared alternate Tuesdays.

Archived article by Naomi Goldin