Transferring from a community college in Charlotte to Appalachian State University was a big change for me. While most of my friends went to a four-year university right after high school, I stayed home for two years. At first I wasn't happy about this but later on, I realized that I had, in fact, saved a lot of money. After attending this community college for two years, I graduated with my associates and began applying to other universities near Charlotte.

App State had never really crossed my mind. I had only visited it once my junior year and thought it was a beautiful campus, but surely not for me. Since I was raised in Charlotte, I felt that Boone was such a small town that I would probably get bored of it fast. I had set my mind to UNCC and didn't bother applying to App at all.

Weeks later I received my acceptance letter to UNCC and the very next day my family and I were apartment hunting in the university area. I toured campus once again but this time I didn't feel too excited. I had been to UNCC more times than I could count and sort of knew my way around already. I saw many familiar faces that made me feel as if Charlotte was the small town, not Boone. I was too familiar with UNCC to the point that it didn't offer me anything to imagine about. It was a great school that I had always wanted to attend, but maybe I had overgrown it. I wanted a new adventure and I wanted to leave Charlotte.

I only applied to App when I started applying to colleges outside of the city. I visited it again after three years and told myself to see the town with a different set of eyes. I wanted to see if it could really be a match. I waited anxiously for their acceptance letter, and the day it came in I was ecstatic. As we had done with UNC Charlotte, the day after I received my letter, we drove up to Boone and started looking for apartments.

While we drove around, my perspective of Boone really starting changing. Yes, it was a small town, but with it came very friendly people and amazing views. Rarely having traffic was another of Boone's marvels. There were no constant police sirens and the short distance between places would save me a lot of gas. The community was another story of its own. I thought I knew Southern hospitality in Charlotte, but Boone took it to a new level. Since the atmosphere is very relaxed, people have more time to be kind.

The school so far has welcomed me with open arms. I love the traditions and everything that it offers. I especially love sitting on Sanford Mall after class and seeing people reading on their hammocks, walking their dogs, or doing some circus acts.

I love that I chose to come to Boone. I have only been living here for two months, but every time I have to go back to Charlotte, I always miss it. I miss the fresh air and the cool weather, and I miss only taking seven minutes to get to my best friends house. I love that every day feels like a new adventure and that I learn something new every day. I love being able to call Boone home.