Summer vacation is right around the corner. Sunny days tanning poolside and glancing at the local lifeguard hottie, vacations to tropical paradises, sipping martinis with the little umbrellas on top, and a break away from all of the stress and labors of school and obligations.

Overcoming the three-week storm of research papers and final exams, the next three months will be filled with clear skies and ice cream dates.

But there’s a few bad things that come with summer vacation too: scorching heat storms that could roast a marshmallow without the fire, substituting social drama with family feuds, and living under your parents roof and rules.

Sometimes you’ll find yourself wishing summer vacation went by faster or that you shouldn’t have left Dallas.

Well, taking the rain with the shine, here is why summer is the best and worst time of the year.

The pros:

Summer marks the end of the college year and the beginning of months of desperately needed relaxation. A time to take the heavy load of due dates off your shoulders, exhale sleepless nights and study rites, and inhale a deep breath of fresh air and sunshine.

Now that you’ve survived the drudgery of school, it’s time to hit the gym. Whether it’s the freshman 15 or senior 30, you now have time to lift, run, practice yoga and get back that summer bod.

Additionally, there’s more time to get more experience. Sorry to say, but work experience is a must because college classes will barely get you farther than high school ones. Summer internships, summer jobs, or studying abroad, college may be on pause but your future career is still in progress.

Time to see old friends. Summer vacation is the perfect opportunity to spend quality time catching up and exchange stories with friends. Hanging out with your high school buddies will never get old.

The cons:

I love my family, but some days I don’t want to deal with them. Now that I’m back home, I seem to be in charge of every chore and errand that’s been postponed and stalled for my return home. Plus, my siblings fight EVERYDAY and someone usually cries, but that’s not the worst part. I don’t mean to sound callous, but they cry inconveniently in the mornings when I’m trying to catch up on the seemingly infinite hours of sleep I’ve sacrificed for school.

Missing your college friends is bad, and knowing that ya’ll probably can’t hang out again till college starts back in the fall is the worst. You spend every day of a year with these people, and to suddenly separate and return home leaves a disheartening pit in the stomach.

A constant stream of boredom. It’s nice to be home, but you’ll slowly realize exactly how boring your hometown can be.

For better and for worse, we will always love summer. The cool breeze, warm sun, and nice weather get us every time. Sure it comes with its negatives, but after a years worth of test anxiety, its nothing we college students can’t handle.

Knowing that summer vacation is a mere three weeks away kills me. I’m about ready to drive home and flop onto my not twin size bed. Until then, good luck on papers and tests. It’ll be worth it by school’s end.