When it is your senior year in high school, all you hear around school is what colleges people are looking into or where people got accepted. I knew that going away to school my first year would ruin me because of my indecisive personality and not knowing what I wanted to do yet at the age of 17/18. I also never saw the point in going away to school to waste money for my first few years. Once I had figured all of this out I felt like an adult. Saving my money and making the choice to stay home while I could. Even though the experience of going to community college rather than away to school has shaped me as a person, it has been completely for the best.

Some people I knew were bound to go away to college right after high school, depending on whether they were just straight up smart or because of a sport, I already knew the people who would not be staying one second longer than they needed to in this town. Some people hate the town that they grow up in and personally, I love mine to death. Having a community college 10 minutes away from me makes me love and enjoy my town even more. It has made me appreciate its beauty and quietness when everyone is gone. Going to community college has also shaped me to make better choices financially and when you change your major three times in the first year and a half, it can save on costs big time. Being home has taught me how nice it is to have home cooked meals and a big room all to myself, oh yeah and my car. It has made me a smarter person all around. It has ensured me that I will make the right choice when the time is right to go away to the school that is perfect for me. I have also learned to work hard while in school to support myself and has increased my knowledge of the value of a dollar.

Staying home may not be for everyone. Some people call it "13th grade" or maybe stupid for going to community college and trying to stay home to figure everything out for your future. I say that it is one of the most learning and best choices I've made in my young adult life. I want to be sure about every move I made as young adult because these are the times when things count the most and you don't want to waste your time or money because you did not plan things out or think far enough into the future. For anyone who is stuck between going away to school or staying home for a couple of years to truly figure things out, just know that it is okay to not know at the age of 18 what you want to do, and that community college has had an ever-changing impact on my life for the future ahead.