Two days into my mid-semester break, I wanted to go home. No, not home to my house, my parents and my dog. I wanted to go home to my two tiny rooms in James Hall. I was visiting my best friend from high school at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and all I could think about was how much I missed my roommate and all of my new friends at Amherst. I was on the edge of my seat as the Valley Transporter van pulled up in front of my dorm. I had huge hugs from all of my friends between mumbled and almost tearful proclamations of how much they missed me and my roommate wouldn't let go of me for five whole minutes.

If I've only known these people for six weeks at the very most, why did I miss them so much? Why do I already think of Amherst as home? For that matter, why wasn't I the only one who felt this way? When I spoke to other first year friends and classmates, many shared the same feelings as I did. Even those who remained on the barren campus responded exuberantly to questions of whether they missed their new friends. Freshman Gavin Weeks answered this question in three words: "Oh, big time!" As for those who left campus, though we all had fun visiting friends and family, we were all ready to get home to Amherst.

Freshman Eboni Jones said simply, "After two days in New York, I had had enough. It was not really like home, and I kept on calling Amherst home."

Two weeks ago, when I made plans to go and visit my best friend from high school, I was feeling insecure and unsure of my friendships here at Amherst. So how, in two weeks, was I so well-adjusted that I actually prefer the company of my new college friends? Many students have commented on how life here is "sped up." "You're living with people 24 hours a day, so you become a lot closer," said freshman Sarah Rothbard. Everything here at Amherst is already familiar and comfortable. Many freshmen feel that this is where they're supposed to be.

Upperclassmen and professors remark that they agreed with this sentiment. A coach advised one freshman that every time he had gone home in college, he felt more at home upon subsequently returning to his dorm.

For my part, I was just glad to get back and see my friends' shining faces when they opened the presents that I had brought them. It was refreshing to walk down the hall and poke my head in open doors, catching up with new friends and laughing at already established inside jokes. It feels good to be home, and I am finally sure that this is where I am supposed to be.