The population of my university is 51 percent Texans. So literally half of my school, which has the word Arkansas IN IT'S NAME, is from another state. This doesn't account for the number of kids who come from Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, etc. Point being, it's really common to move out of state for college.
It's the classic story: You graduate high school, spend one last summer at home, and one bright, ridiculously hot morning, you move into your new dorm room 300 miles away from your parents' house. Mom and Dad cry a little, hug you goodbye, and you immediately make amazing friends in a town where you know nobody, and worse, nobody knows you. You thrive and at eighteen years old, you become the glorious adult you were meant to be. Right? Wrong.
There is a stigma against going to the college that is close to home. It is assumed that if you don't move out of state, you weren't "good enough" to get into any other colleges, or you were too scared to leave. What makes one college better than another simply based on location? It's as if, say I was from New Haven, and I decided to go to Yale, I would still be asked, "Why not Princeton? Couldn't get in, huh?"
My parents' house is approximately fourteen miles from the University of Arkansas. I was brought up as a Razorback fan, and my family always had the unspoken idea cemented in their minds that when I went off to college, I would be making my way to good ole' Fayetteville. Naturally, they were all shocked when I applied to Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss. I narrowed it down to Arkansas and Georgia, and felt myself becoming sick with the stress of my choice. This was my future, whatever I picked now would affect my entire LIFE. And honestly, I applied to Arkansas as a safety school. I'd grown up in Northwest Arkansas, and knew everything about Fayetteville! I went to the square as a little girl, why would I want to spend another five years there? I needed a change of pace, I needed something different.
God stepped in (as He always does when I'm struggling). It was as if He had smacked me on the back of the head and said, "Why are you blatantly ignoring an incredible college when I practically placed you in its backyard to move to a town in Georgia that you've never even stepped foot in?" So, I decided to view the University of Arkansas as if I lived in another state, rather than already knowing it. That was all it took. With one of the best business colleges in the world, outstanding Greek Life, and a beautiful campus, I felt a weight being lifted off my shoulders. This was where I was supposed to be.
My family was overjoyed when I told them the news. I made it expressly clear though that I made this choice for me. Which I did. But I also knew a part of that choice FOR ME included that I wanted to be close to my family. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was terrified of moving 771 miles from my parents, my sister, my niece, my grandparents. I didn't want to leave them. I thought I needed a new state to discover new things? Boy, did I have that wrong. I'm a sophomore now and I still find restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops, bookstores, shows, bands, and other countless places around Fayetteville that I never knew existed as a kid. It wasn't that I wasn't good enough to go out of state. If I had chosen another path, I could have been in the Starbucks in Athens right now rather than Fayetteville. And I get to go to my mom's birthday party, if my dad is grilling chicken wings and having a bonfire at the house, I get to be there! I get to raid my sister's closet (God bless), I can go see my baby nephew's baseball games and take pictures of my niece at her first homecoming wearing one of my dresses. I got to keep my jobs that I've now been at for almost three years- which is going to look GREAT on a resumé. I get to hug my grandma whenever we meet up for lunch instead of only when I'm home for Christmas break. I have my work and responsibilities just like any other student. Most of the time I'm chained to the table in my apartment doing calculus. But it is so nice knowing that when life gets to be too much and maybe I'm losing sight of who I am or what's truly important to me, I can shut off the girl that is in college for a night and go home and watch Beauty and the Beast on my couch with my dog. Living near my parents, but not WITH them, has strengthened me immensely. They support me no matter what and push me to work hard, grow in Christ and flourish as an adult, and be the best person I can be, but I always have a place where my roots are firmly embedded to remind me that there is more to life than papers and tests and paychecks.
Staying close to home for school did not ruin my "college experience". I very rarely see people I went to high school with, I made new friends in my sorority, I go to football games and parties, and being in choir at the U of A gave me the incredible opportunity to visit Europe this past summer.
To everyone who moved 500 miles away from their families and started over completely, you are wonderful. There is nothing wrong with wanting a completely fresh start. To those of you who moved 15 miles, you are wonderful. There is nothing wrong with staying close to home, and that makes you absolutely no less than someone who came from another state.
And lastly, to anyone who thinks I am less intelligent, brave, or capable than someone who moved away for college, thank you. Thank you for teaching me to enjoy Sunday morning breakfast on the back porch with my Daddy and three-hour-long marathons of Golden Girls with my Mom even more than I already did.
