Every Sunday, I like to mentally plan out every single day of the coming week. What homework will I have? Do I have any tests this week? Do I have a swim meet this weekend? Are there any sorority functions I have to attend?

After penciling everything in, I usually am only left with a few precious hour of freedom, which I usually dedicate to sleep or Netflix. It may seem a dull way to go through college, but it works for me.

This past week of Jan. 18-22 was different than any week I have had at Washington and Lee so far.

On Jan. 22, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for my morning swim practice, only to see an email from the administration that school was canceled for the day.

Not delayed a few hours like last year, just canceled.

No school and no responsibilities; I had an entire day to do whatever I wanted.

The options were limitless. I had no idea what I should do.

These days of complete freedom are far and few between in my college career. I have always been told that your college years are the best years of your life, but in all honesty, I don’t think that is entirely true.

College is hard, especially somewhere like Washington and Lee where expectations are set so high.

Students here spend almost all day going to class and then still manage to stay in the library well past midnight doing work.

It’s days like a random snow day that are the days that make college worth it.

Students were given the chance to “let their hair down” and have a carefree day. They were able to go play out in the snow like they used to as children.

Besides a few students who had deadlines on assignments due that day, most students had no real obligations that they couldn’t complete in the next two days.

During the snow day, people took the opportunity to build igloos (or beer pong tables) out of the snow, go to a darty (day party), or get ahead on work so they would have the other two day of the weekend free.

I personally took the opportunity to stay in bed until noon, something I only rarely have the chance to do when swimming continues over any vacations I have.

However students decided to spend their precious snow day, everyone seemed happy.

Most likely there won’t be any snow in the near future and as saddening as that is, life can’t be full of snow days.

Days of complete freedom are rare. But because we know that they don’t come around often, we know to take full advantage of them when they do happen.