I love Mississippi State and am so happy to have decided to go here. Choosing to come here to Mississippi State University meant I was choosing to come to a school in which the majority of students are from here in Mississippi. In some ways this made me nervous, but in the end, this decision to come here as an out of state student is one I do not regret in the slightest.

Overall, going to school even just one state over has made such a difference in my life, introducing me to new people, I was forced out of my comfort zone in order to meet others, and I found a new sense of appreciation for the people from home in my life.

I also met some people who live near me but never before had met due to going to different high schools.

Of course there were times where I did not enjoy being pushed out of my comfort zone to meet new people. At times, especially at the beginning where I had wished I chose to go to Alabama, Auburn, or UAB where most of my friends were.

But I had to realize that the reason I was wishing to be somewhere else was really only due to wishing to have the familiarity and close relationships I had at home.

I picked to come to Mississippi State for a reason, and I needed to stick with it and push myself to keep meeting people. After making a true effort to do this, I began to love Mississippi State even more and really love the place I had chosen to attend college at.

Now with living a few hours from home, I do not go home as often and thus see them less. However, this makes coming home so much sweeter. The miles apart during the majority of the year make the feet to few miles away from each other once at home seem closer than ever before.