Being born and raised in New York City, one of the most urban areas in the world, it didn't take me long to realize that living at a suburban university was going to be worlds different from what I am used to.
The environment you grow up in affects your mindset greatly
I went from a liberal high school near Manhattan with a very socially involved student body to a campus where students freely use the n-word and other problematic terms. After many useless attempts of trying to educate people about the implications, I gave up. I realized that because they aren't from the same place as me, they've been conditioned to have other ideas.
Suburban people are notably more conservative
There are way too many Trump signs here. If someone put up a Trump sign in my neighborhood back in Queens, it would probably be ripped off in minutes.
People here have better manners
I'm used to having doors slammed in my face, but here people will hold a door open for you even if you're miles away from them.
People here also, sadly, walk too slow for my patience
Do I look angry, zooming past people on campus? Probably. Somebody needs to invent a horn for pedestrians.
Everything is like a hundred miles away
The nearest 7/11 is over a mile from campus, while I'm used to the convenience of three delis on my block. If you don't have a car here, it really sucks.
Planning nights out is so much more difficult when there is literally nothing to do in the area
Living in New York City means you have a world of possibilities if you want to go out for the night. In the suburbs, however, you're very limited, to the point where you just have to settle on going to a park or something for a "night out."
The language and culture is very different here
People look at me weird sometimes when I try to greet them like I would greet someone from the city. I'm always down to culture people, however.
There's a lot of wildlife, and they are not afraid of you
Being from the city, I'm used to small rodents and the occasional raccoon. That's why I freak out whenever I see a deer or geese on campus, even after two years of being here.
The public transportation system sucks here
Miss a train? Be ready to wait for an hour. Sometimes, the buses never show up. I've waited in the rain for a bus that was supposedly "en route" for over an hour. No matter how shitty MTA buses are, they always end up pulling through.
Nature is nice and all, but you get tired of it very quickly
I'm from the concrete jungle. Trees, ponds, and extra oxygen are nice and all, but it gets boring after a while and I always end up missing the large-scale buildings and concrete sidewalks of Queens.
