Everyone's college experience is different, and this can often be based on many different factors. For me, choosing my school was a very easy decision, because I immediately fell in love with the entire school community of Syracuse and feel once I stepped foot onto campus.

But while my friends from home couldn't wait to return back to our roots in our hometown, I didn't feel the same yearning sensation of returning home.

Going back home after my first year of college was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I had just started to find my people, joined a bunch of different organizations, and felt like I was discovering more about myself. Despite having to walk the hills across campus to classes, I loved taking in the beautiful surroundings of Syracuse University, because I knew that I couldn't find sights like these back in New Jersey. There wasn't a single thing I could find about my school that I hated (except for maybe having poor AC in the dorms). And now I had to leave and put all of these things on pause for a full three months, which is not easy at all.

Once I left campus, I felt like it was an instant "back to reality" feeling when I walked back into my house. I knew that I would have to get back into a normal routine of waking up, going to work, and then coming home, all with seeing the same people and doing the same things, and it was the last thing I wanted to deal with. Not seeing my school friends 24/7 or living next door to them was the weirdest thing to adjust to over the summer, and it made me feel so alone at times. This just proved to me that Syracuse was my home, and that whenever I was away from it, whether it was Thanksgiving Break or Summer Break, I just felt completely out of it.

Now that I've just moved back into college as a sophomore, I couldn't be any more happier. The feeling of stepping back onto your "territory" or your home after a long time is such a nostalgic yet exciting thing to experience. I felt like everything was falling back into place, and this time, it was even better since I knew my surroundings and had an amazing group of people to come back to. I also now feel back on track to continue pursuing my passions on what I want to do after college, which is so motivating and inspiring for what I choose to do on campus and which classes I take. And plus, I finally get to go back to making my own decisions without my parents watching over me during the summer.

As much as I love my friends and family from home and miss them every single day, I am a happier version of me when I'm at college. Here is where I am learning more about myself and my passions. Here is where I can be adventurous and go outside of my comfort zone. Here is where some of my closest relationships are. Here is where I can feel free to be myself and have fun once in awhile. Here is where I feel safe. And I am so honored to call Syracuse that place for me.

Of course I'm going to have my moments where I'm homesick and wish I could be back in my town getting coffee from my favorite local coffeeshop, or traveling into the city with my friends, or even having my parents here with me physically to give me advice. And in all honesty, if you feel the exact same way as I do, it's completely normal to have these feelings of homesickness every once in awhile.

But I've finally found my happy place where I can be the best version of myself, where I'm surrounded by the greatest people and have such amazing resources to pursue my interests. And I'm extremely grateful for everything that they have given me so far to help me succeed and to support me, because without them, I would not be here writing this, and I would not be able to feel the same way I currently do about Syracuse.