You know, Groundhog Day. The movie. You’re with me? Right. Well in Groundhog Day Murray gets to relive the same day over and over again, Groundhog Day, which wasn’t so great for him because he kept messing everything up. But still, we’re a little bit jealous. There are plenty of days in college we’d love to live over and over and over again, and never change a thing. (Editor’s Note: Or the whole thing? Please?)

Here are our top 5:

1. Your 21st Birthday. This is it. The day you’ve been waiting for. The day you take your first legal drink. The day that’s all about you. An excuse to splurge on a fabulous new, totally 21 outfit. Silly hats. Sashes. Maybe even a tiara to go with that sparkly dress? Free shots. Lots and lots of liquor. And the perfect excuse to go up to a boy and ask him if he’ll buy you a drink. The perfect excuse to do whatever you want, whenever you want to. Because nothing is a better excuse for drunken bar top dancing than “It’s my 21st birthday!” It should be noted though, powers that be, that we want to relive our 21^st birthdays, not the morning after hangovers.

2. Your First Freshman Year Brunch Recap. The first few weeks of college have been hard. You don’t really have a group of friends yet, you’ve thrown up in the bathroom twice from drinking Bartons, and you failed your first college test. And then one Sunday afternoon, you don’t remember the exact date, you ended up sitting in the dining hall for hours cracking up about last night, telling jokes, saying things like “and then I fould Liz making out with her T.A in the bathroom.” And as you eat your third helping of waffles with whipped cream (yay for dining hall health!), you realize that you finally have friends that you really like and you fit in and you love college and there’s no place you would rather be right now.

3. Homecoming. Senior Year. Homecoming is a big deal. And I’m not exactly sure why. It’s not about the game. And it’s not about the tailgating. It’s about the entire process. It’s an experience only college students will ever really understand, and its different every year. But if you have to pick one homecoming to relive over and over again, it should be the your senior year homecoming. You’ve done this enough times by now that you have your routine down perfectly, but yet you’re nostalgic enough to truly appreciate the experience. In fact, you’ll probably even manage to catch a little bit of the game that year. (Sidenote: This probably only applies if your team wins. Because the team that loses probably isn’t going to want to relive that game everyday.)

4. Classes Canceled for the First Time. Maybe it was a snow day. Or a professional holiday you forgot you had off. Or maybe your professor just unexpectedly canceled class without warning. Whatever the reason it’s still an awesome feeling, hearing your alarm go off, waking up, expecting to spend a day listening to lectures as you try not to fall asleep, only to find an e-mail informing you that your classes have been canceled. Maybe you roll back over and spend the day half sleeping, half catching up on your favorite television shows as you lounge in your pajamas and order take-out. Maybe you and your friends build a snowman. Maybe your organize your entire room or head to the beach with your friends. What you do doesn’t matter, it’s just the fact that you got to do it that feels so great.

5. Your “only at my school” day. Whether it’s Hash Bash or Winter Carnival or Mayfest or whatever your schools does, it’s the best day of year. EVERYONE you’ve ever met in college is hanging around together, drinking, smoking, laughing, talking, bringing up old memories, making you mimosas, serving free hot dogs, doing kegs and eggs, and best of all, handing out t-shirts. You don’t have a worry in the world (besides Where are my shoes?) and you’re absolutely convinced that you go to the most fun school in the entire world.

Which days would you want to relive?

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-“Easy A” premiered and, though it wasn’t what we were expecting, we’re kinda obsessed.

-We got to experience the UT shooting through the eyes of a CollegeCandy writer who was present (and thankfully safe and sound).

-The high school vs. college homecoming debate carried on strong.  Over-the-top “Will you go to homecoming with me?” gestures rivaled the low-budge face paint and a beer approach of university life.  But which won out?  That’s for you to decide.

-Our resident sorority girl took a break this week and let the CC Panhel board tell you why you should consider- and perhaps reconsider- going through rush.

-We found a new favorite show on television.  Helllloooo, James Wolk! But boo. It got canceled already.

-The CollegeCandy guide to surviving senior year made its debut.  Savor each one of those dollar beers, get your picture taken with the mascot, and always RSVP yes to Wino Wednesday…but don’t forget to balance work in there, too.

- We remember that group projects still suck.

-The most loved and hated undergarment turned 100.  Happy Birthday to bras everywhere!

-Tucker Max: hard-partying douche bag, general tool, complete ass…and hero? One writer has a major crush

-Mattel finally gets real with “Anchorwoman Barbie,” but we have a few other suggestions that will appeal to the modern women of today.

Some girls may have high school homecoming corsages dried and preserved in a chest of memories, while others have likely burned any evidence that they took their younger brother two years in a row. However you recall your high school homecomings – get ready for a whole new ball game in college.

In retrospect, the hectic nature of the whole Homecoming Saga in high school was just flat out unnecessary. Between the hairdos (like $40 for a fancy ponytail, what the hell?), the unattractive acrylic talons, choosing a restaurant (Italian makes you gassy but the smell of Chinese really gets into fabrics), and worrying about  what type of guy Sparknotes says you’ll be dragging along, the romanticized idea of homecoming is just a little much.

But you better enjoy the crazies while you can, because once you hit a college campus “homecoming” takes on a new face all together. Here are some of the primary differences:

Price

High School: $60/month unlimited tanning package at the Tiki de Soleil Bronzed Goddess Something Salon (So. Many. Orange. People.), $500 dress that you will probably never take out of the dress bag again keep forever to show the grandchildren, $10 boutonniere, $18 corsage because you want it to match exactly and not have him totally eff it up, $15 for your limo portion, etc…

College: $10 team color face paint, $0 game face, and a little beer money (tailgating galore!).

Royalty

High School: Get nominated in some twisted democratic process that is supposed to encourage voting in the long run. It comes down to the same batch of people who are nominated for pretty much everything else in the school. Regardless, it’s an honor to be nominated and chosen by your peers for something so hyped up in teenage rom-com dream sequences.

College: We have homecoming royalty in college? Yeah, they have to fill out an application. It’s the big leagues, kids. Pretty serious stuff– unless you are within the 99.9% of people on your campus who are too busy taking (school spirited) beer bongs/couldn’t care less.

After Party

High School: Probably off to the mall (nothing finishes off a night like the rousing sounds of mall cops on Segways), a 24-hour diner, or someone’s house where there’s, like, tons of alchy (scandalous!). Take plenty of pictures to add to your “HC 2010 <3″ FB album, uploaded and tagged my morning.

College: Odds are you’re still recovering through Monday’s 8:30 lecture. Evidence? It may be scattered on FB….or in the eyes of the many people who saw you trekking home (with smeared face paint) on Sunday morning.

Date

High School: Elaborate schemes planned months in advance involving various forms of chocolate,  baked goods, Safeway bouquets, and oversized teddy bears. Often influenced by several hour stints on Google. It has to be a perfect match, at least for that night.

College: Me ticket, you ticket, we game. End of story. The types of dates here are endless. But it never hurts to give that totally hot foreign kid in Chem 101 his first taste at American football… and women!

But autumn isn’t all bad, and here’s why.

1. The Weather. Here on the east coast, we broke records with the sweltering summer heat. And I’m not going to lie; I took full advantage of that warm weather. But sitting in class in weather that’s meant for the beach? Like I’d ever be able to pay attention. I’m eternally grateful that the temperatures dropped just as I’m forced to hit the books. Plus, it gives you an excuse to buy that cute fall jacket you’ve been eying since July.

2. The Pumpkin Spice Lattes. They’re back. Yesterday’s trip to my friendly neighborhood Starbucks confirmed as much. Starbucks has also introduced the Toffee Mocha, along with the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin and the Pumpkin Scone. Its fall food at its best. But if you’re not quite as caffeine crazed  as I am, you could always try an old standby. Caramel Corn. Pumpkin Pie. Apple Pie. Caramel Apples. Apple Cider. Take your pick.

3. The New TV. I love a good reality TV meltdown as much as the next girl, but by the time August rolls around I’m ready for some good old fashion scripted drama. From Glee to Gossip Girl, your old favorites are returning. Don’t you want to watch the new cast of Dancing with the Stars make complete and total fools of themselves? Or find out if Derek actually recovers from the Seattle Grace shooting? Your wait is almost over.

4. The Leaves. On an entirely superficial note, autumn is a pretty season. The leaves change colors, from green to orange and red, yellow and brown, the perfect autumn color palate. So maybe they’re annoying to rake, but they’re great to look at, and provide excellent cushioning if you feel like taking a dive into a pile. You know you want to.

5. The Fashion. The boots. The bags. The boyfriend sweaters. That perfect fall weather? It’s perfect for all your favorite fall accessories. Jean Jackets. Knit Hats. Scarves of every fabric and color combination you could imagine. Fashion Week is in September for a reason. Make the most of it.

6. The Football. Whether you’re a diehard fan or just in it for the tailgating every college student has to attend at least one football game a year. The face paint. The school colors. The goofy mascot. The matching Homecoming 2010 t-shirts with the ridiculous slogans across the back. And, oh yeah, the actual sport.

7. The Holiday Season. It starts with Fall Break, and although Columbus Day isn’t a holiday that people really celebrate, it’s still the perfect excuse to cancel classes. From there it’s only a few weeks until Halloween, which is so a holiday. Or the holiday.. Then it’s about a month to Thanksgiving, and by then the Christmas commercials have already started. So really, if you think about it like that, you might as well call Labor Day weekend the start of the holiday season.

8. The Activities. Apple picking. Pumpkin picking. Football games. Corn mazes. Fall festivals. Outdoor concerts. Hayrides. Fall is the perfect time to embrace your inner five-year-old. Just make sure you don’t accidentally encounter a patch of poison ivy when reaching for that apple way up at the top of the tree.

9. The Perfect Excuse for Snuggling. Remember that fall weather I mentioned? And all those fun fall activities? What better way to end a day of pumpkin picking than to curl up on the couch with your guy. Wrap yourselves up in a warm wool blanket, grab a few cups of hot cocoa and unwind. Still feeling chilly? I can think of a few very ways to warm up….

10. The New Start. Most people make their yearly resolutions in January, but September is just as good a time to start fresh, if not better. For us college girls, the fall is the start of a new year. Don’t turn in any assignments late. No sweatpants in class. Invest in a planner. Use it. Start making the changes now, and if they don’t stick, you can try again in January.

No, that is not me. I'd never get drunk enough to wear a belly shirt.

I went back to Syracuse for homecoming weekend and effectively destroyed any part of my liver that was still functioning. While I had an amazing time reuniting with friends and walking to the bars while shivering in the pouring rain (man I’ve missed that Syracuse weather), I also learned that I’m officially not a college kid anymore. I honestly don’t know how I spent four years drinking every. single. weekend. on little to no sleep.

By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around I was curled up in fetal position nibbling on saltines and sucking on ice chips. All I wanted to do on the drive home was shut my eyes — which I would have done if the passengers in the car I was driving hadn’t objected so strongly.

The drunker I got, the more tired I got of having to answer the question, “what are you doing now?” So I began telling people I’m a graduate student at DeVry University and handing out a playing card as my business card. It didn’t take too long for people to stop asking me about my employment status. I did almost start a fake pregnancy rumor about myself but then refrained just in case karma hit me hard and I actually turned out to be with child. However, the pregnancy rumor would have explained why I threw up in the morning. Morning sickness sounds a lot more mature than a hangover.

The only thing weirder than no longer being able to drink two nights in a row was being on campus but not being a part of it. I so badly wanted to rewind to a year ago, throw on my North Face, grab my Longchamp, and head off to class like everyone else. Instead I was sleeping on a friend’s bed, living out of a bag, and peeping into the windows of my old apartment.

When I last left Syracuse at graduation I knew I would be back for homecoming in a few months. But this time when I left, I had no idea when I would be back. It’s a thin line between coming back for a weekend to reminisce and being the creepy balding alum in the bar talking about how things used to be back in the ’09.

Homecoming made me realize how much I miss college, how much I miss my friends, and how much I miss a working liver.

The Good:

Free parking! - I was pumped about this, since parking at my last college (NC State) was about 200 bucks. This is also a bad thing because everyone can afford to park, so I have to leave my house 40 minutes before class (and I live 15 minutes away) to beat traffic and find a spot next to my building

The Fests - Back to School Fest, Fall Fest, Latin Fest, Halloween Fest….there’s always some type of “fest” going on….and they all involve a DJ, a moon bounce and loads of free food!

Online classes with NO extra fees - Most colleges label online classes as Distance Education and slap a few extra fees on the courses so that you’ll actually come to campus and not sit in your dorm/apartment/parent’s house watching your lecture via laptop wearing your your favorite tee and a pair of sweats (heaven!). Well, because so many people go to good ol’ community college (mine has 4 campuses total and is 40,000 strong), they actually prefer if you take a class or two online. But be warned: most online classes don’t have deadlines and it can be tempting to slack off. I’ve been taking Ethics since August and haven’t taken any tests just because I don’t feel like it!

Cute guys - I saw more cute guys on the first day of class than I did my whole first year at State. And not only are some of these guys hot, most of then can actually carry on an intelligent conversation… and still look hot doing it.

The Price - Year of tuition at State = $16,800. Semester at CC (14 credits) = $1,480, and that’s without financial aid.

Awesome Teachers/Lax Classes - Community College has some of the most laid back professors I’ve ever seen. In my Sociology class, my professor talks about how circumcision affects a guy’s sex life (he even quoted Sex and the City!), and my Public Speaking class is filled with debates about government corruption and interracial dating. I’ve actually started to enjoy going to class.

The Bad/Ugly

The People - Between the immature post-high schoolers who try to look cool by skipping class and sitting in the hallway/lounge, to the overabundance of soccer moms who always try to assert themselves as top dog in class, going to school here can be a bit of a drag.

No Sporting Events/Homecoming – I jealously watched State’s homecoming game on TV this year, and even more jealously saw my friend’s pictures from the NERD/Common homecoming concert. Did I mention CC has intramural sports?

Even with the few minor downsides, community college really is a win/win. If you’re thinking about transferring schools or coming home for the summer, I would definitely recommend looking into community college. You could end up in an cool Bio Lab with a hot lab partner like myself (without taking out a billion dollars in student loans!).

Sure, it was nice to be home. But I kept feeling like I had to go back to school, like this was more of a temporary sleepover than a homecoming. While the weekend kept me busy from noticing that my house was not exactly home, it also uncovered a new strangeness which college created—meeting up with high school friends.

Most of my high school friends, all of whom I have known for years, go to college within two hours of my hometown. So when a few of us come home for the weekend, we all come home for the weekend. And while I loved being around people who never need an explanation for my random songs or not-funny jokes, it was also startling to see how just a few months have changed us.

I left my friends for the entire summer, and I noticed little change when I came back. But now my friends are not just sitting around their houses or working at the local Dunkin’ Donuts; they’re making friends, testing their boundaries and (some of them) are becoming people who I never would have talked to in high school. When it’s just the few of us watching a movie or walking around town, I can’t entirely ignore the college sweatshirts, new belly-button rings and anecdotes starring new best friends. I can’t pretend that this is last June, when we all just graduated and were ready for something new.

We all desperately needed something different from our perfect little hometown. Well, we got what we wanted. And now, the constant of friends and home have been fogged. When I walked back into my dorm after Fall Break, arms filled with cleaned laundry and warmer coats, a friend leaned over the balcony and said hello. I realized then that while my house and my friends will never be exactly the same as they were, they will still be there for me when I need to escape from college.

But now I don’t need to escape so much. When I enter the dorm, I have people welcoming me home.

[Photo courtesy of danielbowen.com]