<p>In general, it’s always a good idea to do something meaningful with your summer rather than just loaf around at home. So if the options are either be miserable doing nothing at home or staying on campus and doing something useful for your future goals, then it doesn’t seem like much of a choice. Find an internship/job/volunteer position or anything else that would be helpful for your career goals. I generally recommend against taking summer classes, unless you have to to graduate on time, because they tend to be at a lower quality than classes taken during the academic year (rushed, sometimes with newer professors or lecturers) and they are often very expensive (and added onto the cost your already paying during the school year). Your summers would be much better spent working, especially if you can do something related to the field you want to get into. I stayed at school during the summer doing research and working, and only went home for a week or two. It’s actually a really common thing to do and doesn’t necessarily HAVE to be just because you don’t like it at home (even though that probably helps your decision).</p>
<p>That being said, I do think you should get a little perspective with regards to how much you hate your dad’s girlfriend’s “rules” because they’re really not unreasonable. I’m sure there are other things and we’re not getting the whole picture, but if the first thing that comes to your mind is that you have to do the dishes… well, you should do the dishes. You SHOULD be helping out your family, especially if you’re living in their house rent-free. It’s not weird at all to have chores at home, and it’s all stuff you would be doing when you’re living on your own as well. It’s not treating you like a maid–it’s treating you like a part of the household, and as such, you should contribute to the household. That’s a pretty basic thing to ask you to do, and to be honest, you sound a little spoiled about it, especially if that’s the ONLY chore that you have. Have you tried asking everyone to bring their dishes to the sink when they’re done? Or maybe if you really hate doing the dishes, have you tried asking to swap that out with another chore? Maybe you could do the laundry or vacuum or clean the bathrooms or cook dinner. There are a ton of things that need to be done to keep a house functioning, and if you hate that chore, see if you can bargain with them to do something else.</p>
<p>With regards to taking your shoes off in the house, that’s actually a really common thing to do, and I always ask when I’m entering anyone’s house with carpet whether they do shoes on or shoes off. Keeping your shoes will generally ruin the carpet eventually (or at least make it really dirty and stained and it’s harder to keep the carpet soft and clean), and it’s not unreasonable for her to ask you to take your shoes off. In fact, it’s the polite thing for you to do, not some dictator rule that she’s implementing to drive you insane.</p>
<p>As for the dog, well, if you’re not a dog person, then just stay away from the dog. Keep your door closed so that it doesn’t go into your room, and if the dog hair bothers you, then vacuum and dust to clean it up. Go out more, rather than just staying inside all day, so that you don’t have to be around the dog, if you don’t want to.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that you should go home for the summer, but I do think you should be a little more reasonable about what you consider unliveable conditions. To be completely honest, it comes off as a little bratty, and maybe that’s the attitude that your dad’s girlfriend is responding to. Have you tried talking to her or your dad about it? Not as a whiny brat, but as a mature adult that doesn’t like how she talks to you. If you behave like an adult, they might start treating you like one.</p>