Attending a community college first (before going away) has its pros and cons, but because I chose to attend one first really opened my eyes.

Not once while attending my school did I ever experience “FOMO” or the fear of missing out. I was still attending school, but I was doing it in a way where I would be saving over $20,000 just by staying home for two years. People always tell me that I’m missing out because I’m not away from home and doing who knows what. Or that I don’t have any freedom because I stayed home. But I have my freedom, I have for a while. Yes I have “rules” but they aren’t un reasonable. When you’re someone who didn’t “party” hard or give your parents a reason to not trust you in high school then the rules aren’t that strict.

But staying home did show me that that people change with their new freedom, and it wasn’t always for the better. Yes there are cases of people who do change for the better, but there are those people who completely change and you look at them and begin to wonder who they are; these people didn’t change for the better. That girl who was once a good student is now the girl who gets drunk every night and is failing all her classes. Yes, that is one extreme example, but it’s true and I’ve seen it happen (thank you social media).

Also, by staying home I found out who my real friends are and who is going to stick by side through thick and thin. All those “friends” you had in high school will more than likely not be friends with you for long, and that’s ok! You don’t need 10 friends/acquaintances when you can have 4 real friends. Yes, my close friends and I have may have some disagreements, but in nine years of being friends I can count on one hand of all our arguments.

The final thing that attending a community college taught me is how important it is to always follow your dreams. I know that sounds cliché, but I don’t know that if I attended a university first if I would be doing what I am now. Between planning a study abroad trip to 12 different countries or writing for the odyssey, or even with work and being able to learn and grow through work, staying home has allowed me to broaden my horizons and grow as a person.

Yes I am excited to start at Central in the fall, but I am thankful for all the things that attending MCC has taught me