Dear Seniors,

Don’t limit your college search to just schools within commuting distance, even if you plan to stay at home. Apply to a couple of schools that are few states away, even if it’s just for fun.

I never wanted to go away for college, didn’t want to leave my friends, didn’t want to go out and be alone in the world. I was frightened to move away. But then all of my friends were going away, the colleges near me didn’t impress me, and I would still be alone. Now I go to school 2 hours away, hours from any of my friends or home, and I couldn’t be happier.

College isn’t just about the partying. Or the experimenting. Or anything else that has to do with being social. In order to love a school, you need to like the classes that the school offers, meet a couple of professors, and look around campus. Personally going to a school designed by a depressed architect is not my cup of tea so I moved away to a school nestled in the mountains of New Hampshire. In order to love college, you have to love your campus.

Find a school that matches your perfect idea of how you want to spend the next 4 years of your life and ignore the distance. One that you absolutely love and can plaster the name all around. When you find it, go to it. Ignore the distance and realize that your friends are leaving too, people can visit you, and the world is a lot bigger than it seems. Time flies and there will be breaks before you know it.

Focus on what you want. Focus on what will make you thrilled to attend that college. Fall in love with your college because you don’t want to regret the decision of staying home while you loved a college only 2 hours away.