By Brain Kehoe

Old friends have called it Peter Pan Syndrome. Past girlfriends have said it’s immaturity. My own precious mother has even diagnosed me with being emotionally stunted. But is it wrong that I’m enjoying my second round of college as much as I did my first?

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a broadcast journalism major, and this is my eighth year at the University of Nevada, Reno. After my first four years, I took an opportunity to pursue other avenues, which kept me away from the collegiate environment for a while. However, it was this time away that gave me the perspective that I now carry upon my return. Being separated allowed me to more deeply appreciate all the great things college has to offer, and how, more times than not, the college version comparably trumps the real world.

As someone who has gone to college, left and now come back, despite doing well I couldn’t see myself living the life I wanted without a college degree. After five years in Los Angeles, I personally felt like I had done enough. I was satisfied with everything that I accomplished and all that I experienced. Part of that feeling was being in my mid-20s without a college degree, which was not something I was comfortable with. My parents along with my sister all graduated from this university, so the importance of higher education has always been emphasized in my family. But more importantly I felt trapped because, as a model, I was relying solely on the aesthetics of my physical attributes in order to earn a living. It was not very pacifying to think that the occurrence of some sort of freak accident would leave me without the tools to do much else. To quote my aunt Victoria, “Beauty fades, but dumb is forever.”

“Oh my gosh, I hate this place. I can’t wait to get out of here,” is something I’ve heard students grumble and moan far too many times since my return to campus. But along the way I realized there are plenty of things that you’ll never get to do once you’re out of college. That is why I have decided to make a list of some of my favorite reasons why college is such a valuable experience beyond receiving a degree. Lucky for me, I get a second chance.

PROXIMITY TO FRIENDS

All your friends live on or near campus, which makes hanging out so easy. In the real world, you may go weeks without seeing your best friends, and Skype or FaceTime becomes the catalyst to your relationships.

NAPS

The post-lunch crash is real. However, in college the luxury of napping between classes is a virtue. As a postgrad, dozing off during that 3 p.m. meeting at the office is not going to be acceptable.

DC SWIPES

Freshmen are required to purchase a meal plan when living in the dorms, and smart upper classmen know how to hunt down these freshmen for their extra swipes. After college you either learn how to cook like an adult, or spend all your money on delivery. Either way, you’re effed.

CHEAP DRINKS

$1 Rolling Rock at the Wolf Den, all day every day. Enough said. The real world prices of drinks will have you in a boundless search of happy hours and drink specials.

STARBUCKS GIFT CARDS

College students and coffee are synonymous. That being said, relatives absolutely love to give Starbucks gift cards as presents. We are sleep deprived and poor. Our family understands this. Take advantage. Once we get real jobs, we may very well still be poor, but the assumption is that we are now able to support ourselves. Is it fair? No. But it’s reality.

THE STUDENT SECTION

Free seats to watch a Sports Center Top Ten dunk. Priceless. Yeah, my married buddies in the top of section 32 saw the same thing — only it wasn’t the same because they were required to sit the entire game.

NOT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT STUDENT DEBT

Student loans are like free money while you’re in school. Each year the amount goes up, but we aren’t affected until that friendly grace period ends. Once you step out into the real world, the loans from school pile right on top of every other bill you’re responsible for. Let the lifetime of payments begin.

DATING

If you’re not texting or talking to at least one person right now, there is something wrong with you. That whole saying about six degrees of separation is cut in half at our school. The creation of Nevada Crushes has made it virtually impossible for the person you like to not be aware of the fact. In the real world you have to actually walk across the bar and talk to the person yourself. This can be intimidating for even the biggest of frat stars.

THE PRE-GAME

Friends my age always want to meet at dinner, or meet at the bar. It’s like, what happened to the pre-game? Most of the time the pre-game is more fun than the actual party anyway.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Besides being the best and worst thing in my life, social media is on a whole different level during college. Think about all the inside jokes and subtweets you send that only your friends at school understand. In the real world the only fun things to tweet about are Starbucks and the disapproval of the 44th president. And Snapchat? The only Snaps received on my feed from post grads are mirror pics of my friends’ monthly pregnancy updates.

Some people might think I’m crazy to be in college this long, but it’s just who I am. Like Asher Roth said, “I love college.”

Brian Kehoe studies journalism. He can be reached at sself@sagebrush.unr.edu.