Since completing my first-year college, I have a newfound love and appreciation for living on my own. While I had plenty of freedom in high school, like not having a curfew junior and senior year, it does not compare to being hundreds of miles away from my parents. Being on my own has taught me what it is like to have to make my own decisions regarding academic and personal priorities.
I could go out to dinner and not do my homework whereas at home, in theory, I had to. I learned how and what to prioritize and not have the luxury to rely on my parents for reminding me about something. In some cases, I did choose my personal life over academic life and to be honest, it felt strange.
The very first time I prioritized and reveled in my new freedom, I had a ridiculous thought that the professor or school was going to call my parents and report me. It was so foreign to me that I could sleep in or go out instead of going to class without a long term consequence. However, I quickly learned that everything was in my hands versus my parents, who would usually call or write an excuse for me to leave school early.
I also quickly got used to not being nagged by my mom or dad about doing a chore or another miscellaneous activity. I felt such a sense of freedom knowing I had nothing to take care of about besides school and my health (physical and mental). I would not say I had to learn to balance my social and academic life, but I learned to prioritize the right thing at the right time.
Now, at home, I have had to adjust to the nagging of my mom about me finding a summer job or my parents asking me to drive my sister somewhere. Obviously, it is not that much that they are nagging me about in retrospect, but I went from being "alone" to constant "supervision." I literally did whatever I wanted whenever, and I love that. I felt like I finally was able to be independent of so many expectations I previously was given.
Being at college hundreds of miles away also helped. I attend school far from LA so it is not as if my parents can check up on me or drop in unexpectedly. This, of course, has its benefits. I can stay out as late as I want without letting my parents know where I am and I can go anywhere I want easily.
Your whole life changes once you go to college. You learn what it is like to live on your own but also still be financially dependent (assuming). So, you have enough freedom to do what you want, but in reality, you cannot call yourself a financially independent adult until you support yourself.
