With another year of college looming on the horizon, I thought back to how I felt this time last year. I was definitely excited for the next big chapter in my life, but I felt pretty nervous, too. I had always known that I wanted to go away to school when I got older, but now that the time had finally come, my nerves had gotten the better of me and I wasn't sure what to think anymore.
So if you're an incoming college student worrying about your last month home before going away (or you're not going away but wondering why you should -- or even if you do go away and are just curious!), here are eleven reasons why going away to school is a good thing.
1. You learn how to be independent.
This includes "adult" things (see #7) and just learning how to wake yourself up on time, get to class, reach out to professors when you have questions, clean up spills, handle crises, etc. Mom and Dad aren't going to be hovering over your shoulder anymore to make sure that you're always taking the right steps.
You learn to recognize right and wrong on your own and make decisions accordingly. Although you will probably call them with lots of questions. This is to be expected.
2. You get to explore a new place.
You've pretty much memorized every nook and cranny of your hometown by now. It's time to learn the ins and outs of somewhere new and exciting.
3. You aren't surrounded by the same people you knew for your whole life.
While you may have made some pretty good friends in high school and you want to keep that friendship going (which I totally encourage), spending every waking second of four more years of school with the same group of people every day (both those you loved and those you couldn't stand) will get tiring and annoying.
You're being given the chance to reinvent yourself and meet people that are totally fresh and new. While you'll always have your hometown friends, it's definitely a bonus to be escaping your hometown enemies and drama queens.
4. You get to spend some time away from your parents.
While everyone loves their parents and nobody really wants to leave them, the sense of independence is nice. Even though I totally missed my parents so much the entire time I was gone, it was pretty cool to be fully functioning on my own and realizing that I could survive without them leading me through every moment. Plus, I could stay up until 5 a.m. and nobody would lecture me.
5. You learn how to be responsible.
Your first few weeks in college are definitely going to be totally chaotic. With so much newfound freedom, you just have to test all of the boundaries -- ice cream for breakfast, staying up past the sunrise, video games all night, and even 2 a.m. grilled cheese runs.
With no rules except the ones you set for yourself, you'll definitely be overwhelmed with excitement...but then it'll wear off, and you'll realize that having a little bit of structure in your life maybe is a little bit beneficial. You'll learn what time you need to go to sleep in order to wake up as a functioning human for class the next day.
You'll learn that ice cream for breakfast can give you some pretty bad stomach aches after you try it a few times in a row. You'll learn what times work best for you to grab breakfast or dinner, do your homework, or meet up with friends to study. You'll learn that 2 a.m. grilled cheese runs...are still awesome. Don't mess with those. Bottom line is, you'll start to actually schedule yourself, the same way your mom used to, and you'll realize that maybe she was right all along.
6. You come across so many people from different walks of life in such a short amount of time.
Going away to school means that so many people from so many different places are traveling to get the same education. You'll not only find yourself in classes with people from other towns, but also other states, sides of America, and even from other countries and continents. You'll experience such a blend of languages and cultures in such a short period of time, and it'll be amazing.
7. You learn how to do "adult" things.
You may not like them, but you know that things such as doing laundry and making your bed are adult skills that you'll need later on in life. Going away to school forces you to learn those things faster, because Mom isn't around to pick up after you anymore.
8. Nobody's going to stop you from getting that 2 a.m. grilled cheese.
Maybe one of the worst decisions I made during my first year of college, but simultaneously my best. And nobody was around to lecture me about the dangers of greasy foods as I bit into that cheesy, buttery goodness.
9. You're the only person you have to check with when making plans.
No more saying "let me ask my mom" and then having to make sure that not only you were free, but that Mom was free to drive you, and that your siblings were both occupied so you didn't have to babysit them, and that Dad was going to be home from work on time. If you're free to make a plan, you make it. You're the only person you have to check with.
10. All of the fun decorating!
If you're a fan of Pinterest, going away to school is definitely for you. Think of all the fun decorating items you need!
11. You will make some of the greatest friendships with people that you would never have met otherwise.
Some of my greatest friends that I met in college are from places across the country and places that aren't a mere few minutes away like my high school friends are. If I hadn't gone away to school (and they hadn't either), I wouldn't have met them, and that would have been a total shame.
So those are just a few of the reasons why I think that going away to school is a beneficial thing that everyone should try. A good friend of mine put it best when we were giving a speech to incoming college students and giving them some advice on whether or not to go away to school: At least give it a try. If you hate it, you can always come home. But you don't want to miss out on a great opportunity without first giving it a real shot.
Time to make the last month count!
