When it came time to schedule my Fall 2018 classes I had one goal in mind: take as many classes as I could online with the ultimate goal of having none on campus. This was a hard decision for me as I dreamed of the stereotypical college education and for me that included being completely involved in the on-campus experience. But eventually, I realized I had another dream and I made a plan to make it all work.

Being an out-of-state student can be stressful. I didn't know anyone, all my family lived 2,000 miles away from me, and I had never even been to this area of the U.S. before I had chosen to attend school in it. All of this was overwhelming during my first year and I knew I wanted a moment to step back and acclimate myself to my new home. I didn't want to stop my schooling though. I still wanted to continue pursuing my college education and so online courses became the option for me after being certain that I would never want to go that route.

I decided to make my small college town my full-time residence after my first year there so I'm within a close proximity to the campus. Because of this, the distance to my school didn't play a part in my decision to take only online courses.

I came to Bowling Green State University from Portland, Oregon but now that Ohio is my year-round home I have all this time to experience the Midwest, or so I thought. My first year in Ohio I got to do very minimal exploring of this completely new territory I was in and that is one reason I decided to ditch on-campus classes for a semester online.

With no obligation of having somewhere to be at 12:30 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday, I can take my classes in my own time as long as it is within the confines of the semester and my teachers' deadlines. I can even take my classes with me on trips around Ohio and the Midwest.

Adventures are for everyone, even my cat.Ashley Lytle

This means my availability to adventure is officially open wide! It's sad to say that I am a month away from having lived in Ohio for an entire year, and I have never gotten to experience the Great Lakes except for a few glimpses when doing other activities nearby. The Great Lakes are known as this worldwide natural beauty and I haven't had the chance to use my close proximity to appreciate them. I have a list of adventures I want to take and sites I want to see which includes the Great Lakes, and now I have the opportunity to go explore with no on-campus classes!

I didn't just choose to ditch the standard on-campus life for adventure. Even if it did play a large role in my decision. By having an open schedule, it also allows me to work more to make more money that, yes, will fund my adventures, but also will help me to save up for future expenses.

My open schedule also makes me more desirable as a new hire.

One of the biggest reasons I feel I was turned down for jobs was my classes didn't allow for the availability employers were looking for. I had several interviews where it came to the part where they'd look at my availability and the interviewer would be like, "Oh, well you wouldn't be able to work many hours here with this availability."

My classes completely shut me off from countless job opportunities I desperately needed. Now it's important to note a job should never come before your school work, which is why I decided if I wanted a chance to save and to fund my explorations then online classes was an ideal solution for me. It was the best of both worlds! With adventures awaiting me and lots of time to save money, I enter this next Fall semester excited for what is ahead.

Every aspect of this journey is exactly what is best for me at this point in my life.

I can still be involved on campus since I live in the town and I can still continue my studies without the time constraints on-campus classes come with. The world awaits for me to explore and it's at this moment in my life I'm reminded how important it is to stay open-minded throughout all aspects of my life. You could miss out on a golden opportunity if you don't.