Canceled classes. Free food. Pushed-back deadlines. Class-free Fridays. Take-home exams. Free drink passes. Cheap cab fares.

These are all things we — or most of us — as college students are thankful for, which seems a little pathetic to me.

Don’t get me wrong, I try as hard as anybody else to arrange my schedule to not have classes on Fridays, but as Thanksgiving break approaches I find myself more excited to go home for break than any of the past years away at school. I honestly don’t know why this year is so different than the past three, but I truly cannot wait to be home with my family for an extended period of time.

This makes me reevaluate the menial, partially shallow, things that I sometimes catch myself feeling so thankful for when I’m at school. For instance, the free drink pass or waking up to an e-mail from a professor canceling class, am I really thankful for that? Considering my tuition dollars are going to waste when a professor cancels class shouldn’t I actually be asking for my money back instead of being “thankful” for sleeping an extra couple of hours? When we get down to the true meaning of “thankful,” I hope the things I’m really thankful for are far from the superficial things I mentioned above.

Family. Friends. Good health. Education. A roof over my head. My dog. Mentors. Safety and stability.

These are the things I’m actually thankful for, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. My family is my rock and biggest support system. My friends are literally there for me no matter what and mean the world to me. Health and education are two major factors in my life; I am tremendously grateful for both.

I realize that attending Quinnipiac is a privilege and not a right, and it’s pretty damn expensive. My home has this comforting feeling as soon as I walk in the door that I can’t even put into words, and I’m sure many of yours have that too. “A diamond is a girl’s best friend and a dog is man’s best friend.” Well, not here. I love my dog just as much as any guy does, and so on. I’m sure you get my point.

Thanksgiving is merely a week away. As it gets closer and closer, take a minute to think about what you’re really thankful for in your life and why. Then, if you feel comfortable enough, tell the people in your life. I know it may seem cheesy or obvious, but I promise you this will give you that warm, fuzzy, feeling inside and all those canceled classes and take-home exams will start to mean less and less.