Let me just start off by saying that where I'm from, going to college is pretty normal. What's even more normal is going to one of the many universities that could range anywhere from four minutes from your house to four hours. Am I saying it’s a bad thing if you stay home to go to college? In no way shape or form! If that is where you want to take the next steps of your career, please go ahead. However, I do think if you have the opportunity to push yourself in the opposite direction you should.

My college journey happened to have me move across the country. According to Google maps, 2,788 miles to be exact. There were multiple factors that came into play on why I moved, but before I knew it, I was in sunny California. My freshman year I took summer classes so I left a little earlier than my friends did and everything was totally fine. I mean, I most definitely cried for the first week trying to figure everything out but hey, I was living the “California Dream.” Once fall rolled around, I most definitely started to get super homesick. When the first Thanksgiving rolled around and I couldn't go home due to the fact that 2,788 miles is actually pretty far and because my school doesn't really have a break, I got super sad. I'm actually extremely close to my family and I'm still friends, and still best friends with people I've known since Pre-School. So because of that, this is when you start to feel like you're missing out. (Don't worry, I didn’t spend Thanksgiving alone). You feel like you're missing out because you go on social media and see all of your friends hanging out and you can't be a part of it. You see your friends from high school go to the same college together and you see how much fun they're having... Or maybe you even give a call home and you find out your little brother or sister learned how to ride a bike today and you missed it. But the thing is, you aren't exactly missing out your just on a different adventure and journey than others. Just be happy for them and most definitely happy for yourself.

When you go away for college, you sort of end up “growing up” a little faster than you might have thought. It can also be the beginning of your personal evolution. Your mindset starts to change. When a situation or a problem occurs, you tend to start to see how you can correct the problem first before calling other resources, (also known as parents). You also start to learn the difference between what you like and what you are taught to like. Essentially, you have the opportunity to gear your actions towards the person you want to become because no one is really there to stop you. I have friends who’ve said they have a greater appreciation for themselves because they’ve learned how to take care of their needs and any issues that arose.

I also know that I wouldn’t have met so many different types of people from our country and our world if I didn’t go to the school that I did. You really get the chance to grow, learn, and experience a completely different type of lifestyle than you may be used to. I know that leaving home and what you know can be scary and uncomfortable, but there is nothing wrong with expanding your horizon and pushing yourself to do new things. And besides, in the wise words of my dad, “When in doubt, your home is and will always be home. And you know what? You can always come back”.