Before starting at Temple, I had super high expectations regarding my college experience. I was so tired of high school and ready for a new "adventure". I thought my life would completely change, for the better, once I moved into my dorm on campus.

Don't get me wrong, I love it here and my life for sure has inevitably changed since last year. But it is definitely far from the romanticized version I had in my head.

I imagined myself living my best life, being independent, healthy, and finally breaking out of my cycles of depression, not to mention surrounded by new friends.

I love Temple and have had a positive experience here so far, but it is far from what my colorful imagination concocted.

After I was brutally disappointed when this wasn't the perfect world I wanted it to be, I started going home a lot on the weekends. I missed seeing my family every day. I missed my cat and my bed. I missed the feeling of being home; a feeling I used to be so excited to get away from.

Now, in the spring semester, I go home less than I did at first, but still pretty often. I have the luxury of living less than 30 minutes from home, which I did on purpose without realizing it. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I didn't want to go super far away because I knew I would miss home.

Going home on the weekends gives me a chance to get away from the stress of school. I still deal with depression quite frequently and often feel very lonely at school, so going home lets me be around my family and relieve some of the pressure of everyday life in college.

I am super close to my family and being home allows me to talk through what I'm dealing with. It lets me relax and feel refreshed before coming back for the new week.

I used to feel bad about going home so much. I felt like a loser because I wasn't going out and partying every weekend like everyone else. I thought I "had" to stay at school and be away from home to be a "real college student". But that's not the case.

I love going home. I also love living at school. Its a good balance for me and where I am in my life; I can be away from home, have a taste of independence, but then go home on the weekends and be home with my family.

I have realized now that I don't have to plunge myself into adulthood right away. I can use this time to transition myself into being fully independent and I am truly grateful for that.

If you are like me, don't let anyone make you feel lesser for going home on the weekends. Don't convince yourself that you have to be a certain way in college. Everyone is different and everyone experiences college in a different way. It's okay if you are still reliant on your family and it's also okay if you are already completely independent.

We're all just out here trying to figure life out.