Move-in is approaching! As we all prepare to return to school, here are some songs on leaving home and returning to life at Columbia University in the City of New York (a name that, as Drake would say, sounds “very important and very pretentious”).

  1. Hotline Bling by Drake – An ode to the old flame, and a reminder to leave the ex with whom you “reconnected” this summer in the past.
  2. Sleep Talk by Diet Cig – “Being home never felt so bad/Why is everyone here so mad?/Only here under obligation/It’s hard to pretend this is a vacation”
  3. jasmine (demo) by Jai Paul – “Can I meet ya Friday? Saturday?”–a tune on returning to New York Tinder.
  4. Warm Blood by Carly Rae Jepsen – Warm blood, fresh sights–welcome to Columbia, hot first years!
  5. 679 (feat. Remy Boyz) by Fetty Wap – A song for when you’re pregaming with your friends in your tiny Nuss double on your first night back. Don’t spill Franzia on your new rug!
  6. Wild by Beach House – Listen to this while lying on the steps or across a bench in Riverside (and inevitably slump back to an air-conditioned building ten minutes later).
  7. Are You Sure You’re Really Busy? by Blood Orange – A reminder to hang out with your pals before you all get stuck in the “busy” trap a week or two into classes.
  8. New Person, Same Old Mistakes by Tame Impala – You killed your internship this summer, you read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and you’re convinced that you’re going to ace this semester. Alas, you still find yourself ferociously tapping out your first CC paper an hour or two before it’s due, rummaging through your messy notes trying to find just the right quotation. Whoops! Maybe next semester!
  9. No Tellin’ by Drake – “Please do not speak to me like I’m that Drake from four years ago/I’m at a higher place”–a song for seniors trying to avoid the annoying energy of NSOP.
  10. Making The Most Of The Night by Carly Rae Jepsen – A song to remind you to balance the time you spend at Butler with the time you spend at 1020.
  11. Youth Without Youth by Metric – For those late nights in Butler when you’re scrolling through your newsfeed and see pics of all your friends from home having so much fun at their state schools.
  12. New Year by Beach House – This one’s pretty self-explanatory.
  13. Excuse Me by A$AP Rocky – For when all the sorority girls in Mel’s try to push past you to order another vodka soda or something.
  14. Crystal Ball by Grimes – Ruminate over all that is to come this school year with this song’s nervous energy.
  15. High By The Beach by Lana Del Rey – Summer may be over, but you can still get high in Riverside.
  16. Back To Back by Drake – Lerner: ramps back/to/back/to/back/to/back (and you know the package center line will wrap around at least one of them).
  17. Break From Toronto by PARTYNEXTDOOR – Take a break from Morningside Heights and (wait for it) go downtown–especially while you have the time before classes start!
  18. Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl by Wet – For when you’re trying to remind your parents that you’re no longer their “little girl,” and that they need to stop calling every day.