High school was great. I loved my friends and my hometown was really nice, but I was ready to move on. So, I chose to go 800 miles away to an out-of-state school. It was the best decision I ever made.

I got to start fresh.

No one knew me—and I didn’t know them—so there were endless possibilities to mix things up. I could be anyone I wanted to be but if I wanted to stay exactly the same, it didn’t matter because no one would know otherwise.

No one had expectations for me.

I would never do something that would surprise anyone because no one knew the type of person I was in high school. Everyone just assumed that my actions were normal and thought nothing of it. I loved being able to surround myself with people who had no prior opinion about me.

It pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Since I didn’t know anyone, I was forced to put myself out there and try new things, even if I didn’t want to socialize that day. I didn’t have a choice but to make friends because I didn’t have high school friends around to fall back on.

I have a different perspective.

I attend a state school where many of my classmates have similar backgrounds. I came from a different region of the country so my childhood was different from everyone else’s. I saw things slightly different than many others and it was a cool feeling.

I seem more interesting.

I’m actually not more interesting—but people would ask me about my hometown and upbringing because it was so different from their own. People wondered if they spoke weird or if their 'normal life phrases' are odd. Everyone seems to think that they do not have an accent, myself included, so I guess everyone is wrong.

Seeing my high school friends is even more special.

Since I didn’t go back to my hometown often, I only saw my high school friends once or twice during the school year. This made it so special when I was actually in town and everyone made it a bigger deal because I was hundreds of miles away, compared to some who were only an hour or two.

I appreciate where I am from more.

I was so ready to leave when I was there, but I am so happy to return home when I get the chance. It is true that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone—or at least 800 miles away.

I am so happy I took a leap and stepped out of my little world to be somewhere new. If someone out there is afraid to take that leap, I say do it. If you put yourself out there to try new things and meet new people, you’ll have no qualms about it. It is definitely an unique experience to be an out-of-state student, but it is something I have never regretted and truly do consider to be the best decision I have ever made.