I've been in this school for what feels like years. In reality, it has been barely four months. Although I feel I know enough about college to carry me through the next seven semesters I have, I know I have a lot to learn. That's okay. Though I may not know everything, I've definitely learned a lot.

From relationships to academics, these four months have given me an entirely new perspective. One of the biggest realizations that I have come to is that going to school and living ten minutes away from home was the best decision I could have made.

I'm going to start with my preconceived idea of what college would be. Beginning of my senior year, and I was petrified of the word "college". Family parties became my worst enemy, as my relatives would drown me with questions about where I was going and why I haven't decided. I would visit the College Board's website daily and compare my SAT scores with the average accepted scores at the colleges I would only dream of going to.

Time passed, and I still had yet to fall in love with a school. Sure, some schools stood out more than others, but there was no school I truly saw myself living at in 12 months. My anxiety was at an all-time high as I picked four or five schools to apply to that I really didn't have much interest in. I was running out of time.

Fast forward a few months and I ended up receiving acceptance letters from all of the schools I applied to. I should've been ecstatic, but I wasn't since I couldn't pick a school. My decision was weighing upon my desire to move far away and get the full college experience. A single school persistently stood out to me: Rowan University.

I loved the campus and the reputation the academics had but there was one problem: it was ten minutes away from my hometown. I spent all of high school dreaming of the idea of moving away to California and becoming an independent college student. How could I give up on that dream so easily?

I took a leap of faith and committed to Rowan. I was unsure as to how this decision would affect me, but I knew I would never know if I never tried.

A year later and I was moving into my new home. Was I scared? A little bit. But my excitement overpowered any fears or hesitations I had. As weeks passed by, I realized I would've made a huge mistake if I had chosen a school based on distance. Being on campus throughout the day, walking to classes, and even eating the disgusting scrambled eggs that Glassworks serves every single day all made me feel like I was hours away from home.

The best part about the whole situation was that I could go home whenever I wanted. Most of my peers that I graduated with couldn't fathom the idea of going to school ten minutes away. For a while, I agreed with them. After living at Rowan for four months, I truly believe I could not have made a better choice. Being at school makes me feel hours away from home while, in reality, I'm a quick car ride away from my family and friends if I'm feeling homesick.

I have the advantage of living on campus, meeting new friends, and being independent, while also being able to visit my parents when I need a homecooked meal or see my cats. Going to Rowan University was the best decision for me, and I could not be prouder of the choice I made.