When I started my senior year of high school, I really had no idea where I wanted to go for college. I was planning on going somewhere, I knew that, but I had no idea where. Part of me wanted to go out of state, but in reality I would not have been able to afford it without taking out a massive loan, which I did not particularly want to do.

And so, in-state it was. There was only one school in my home state of Arizona that I could imagine attending, the same school I had known all my life and whose basketball team I had been worshipping for as long as I could remember. That school was, for better and for worse, the University of Arizona, located right in my hometown of Tucson, Arizona, approximately 25 minutes from where I attended high school.

And just like that, I decided to attend college in the same place where I grew up, a decision that definitely came with both advantages and disadvantages.

Even though home was close by, I still lived in the dorms my freshman year, so I was still able to benefit from the college dorm experience, and my parents were even close enough to bring me snacks, and maybe pick up some laundry every once in a while.

Freshman year in the dorms was all fine and dandy, but I decided to move back home for my sophomore year, forcing me to make the commute to and from school every day. It wasn’t so bad, but it definitely got old after a while. The days where I could wake up ten minutes before class started, roll out of bed and still make it there on time were over and I was forced to leave enough time for me to leave my house and still make it to campus on time. Still, my parents and I saved a lot of money due to my decision to move back home, which was a big advantage.

Now my time at the UA is almost over, and in a sense I feel trapped, like I never really got to leave home and still have yet to feel what it is really like to be independent. Having my parents and family as a nearby resource during my college years has been great, but in a sense I think it may have prevented me from fully growing up since there were times when I relied on them more then I probably should have.

Since I never got to leave, it also sort of feels like I never got to experience something new, and I didn’t get the full college experience of immersing yourself in an unfamiliar place. I have definitely become more familiar with Tucson since attending UA, but I’m not entirely sure that staying here was the right choice. It all seems too familiar now.

Going to college the same place you grew up has its pros and cons, and it really all just depends. I don’t regret the choice, but if I could do it over I am unsure if I would make the same decision. All I know is that I’m not sure if I can stand being in Tucson for too much longer.