This year was the start of a new life; my first year of college. It was the start of my independence and my future. Like many freshmen, the start of college was absolutely terrifying and forced me to make decisions that could ultimately shape my future for better or for worse.

One of the biggest decisions I had to make was deciding between living in a college dorm with other students or commuting back and forth from my home.

I have always been a person who would rather spend a night with my family watching movies instead of going out partying with friends on the weekends. My family has always been my support system and backbone, so the thought of living in a residence hall with complete strangers absolutely terrified me. I felt like I wasn’t ready to leave my family behind and start living alone. So, I decided that when college started, I would commute back and forth from campus and my house.

At first, I was all for living at home and saving money, but as the time for a final decision came, I started to feel less and less confident about my choice to stay at home. My friends were all talking about the cute room décor they just bought and meeting their roommates for the first time, while I would just sit and listen in on their conversations. I began to feel like I was missing out.

So, I hopped in my car, drove to Target and bought all the things I needed to redecorate my own room to experience what they were all experiencing. As I told people about my choice to live at home, they started to tell me that I would be missing out on the college experience and would not make as many friends. I started to feel more and more deflated about living at home as I watched all my friends go their separate ways and begin their new lives away from home. As I scrolled through on social media, I saw everyone out partying and taking group photos with so many new faces, while I just sat at home.

After talking to other commuter students on campus, they advised me to not compare my experiences to my friends or what I saw on social media and to make the most out of my life on campus. So, I did just that. I did everything I could to get the college experience that everyone told me I would miss out on if I commuted. I joined several clubs, made amazing friends and came out of my comfort zone.

After starting college, I’ve realized that commuting is the best decision I could have made. Every night, I get to come home to my family and sleep in my own bed after a long day of classes. I am not forced to eat the fast food that is served at school, but, instead, I eat a home-cooked meal every night. As my friends all post about how much they miss cuddling with their dogs, I send them the occasional Snapchat of me and my pup all curled up together. I’ve realized that everyone has their own college experience and college story and this was mine.

For anyone on the fence about commuting or living in a dorm, here is my advice to you: go out of your comfort zone and make your own experiences, but do not be afraid to do what is comfortable to you. Do not compare your experiences to the ones that you see on social media. It is so easy for people to post only the highlights of their life at the moment. Make the most of your time in college and do whatever it is that makes you happy.