My decision to go to school out-of-state has been the absolute best decision I have made in life so far. As hard as it can be sometimes to be hundreds of miles away from home, I can't imagine doing it any differently. There are so many advantages of going to school out-of-state that should be considered while making one of the biggest decisions of your life, and these are just 3 of them:

1. The opportunity to start over

This is honestly the greatest advantage I have experienced since going to school out-of-state. In my opinion, a lot of people get stuck pretending to be something they are not, or at least not doing everything they want to do because they are worried what all of their high school peers will think.

Maybe you don't like the person you were in high school. Going to college, in general, is a chance to start over and recreate yourself, but it's harder when school is so close to home. College can become high school: part two.

When school becomes "a flight away," the opportunity to meet new people awaits you. You get to become friends with people not because they were in your same high school English class, but because they are similar to you and do everything you have always wanted to do without the worry of high school judgment. You can completely leave the high school drama behind when you go out-of-state.

2. An increase in your independence

While being away at school gives every new college-student some new found independence, out-of-state students experience a whole new level of it that no one can understand unless they are in the same boat.

For starters, a lot of students that go to school close to home still rely on their parents whether it is for laundry, food, or even a hug when they need one. As soon as I got to school, though, I had to learn how to do everything on my own. I could no longer solely rely on my family.

The biggest thing, however, was learning to fly on my own. I have been in many airports traveling with my family in the past, but nothing compares to navigating one on your own. Because I was always flying to and from school for breaks, I am now able to fly anywhere on my own and it is one of the greatest feelings.

3. Having the world at your fingertips

It sounds slightly dramatic but someone at school once told me this and it could not be truer. From what I hear and have seen, it is much easier to find your way back home to that small town life when you attend college so close to home.

If you're dreaming bigger than is possible in your hometown, going out-of-state is the first huge step you can take for yourself. Now that I am far away from home, I feel more than ready to go after my dreams and I have the ability to live anywhere I need to despite how far away it may be from my family and where I grew up.

Being an out-of-state student has been the most exciting experience of my life so far. I learned more about myself in one year away from home than I had my whole life previously. I learned to cherish my time at home and every moment with my family more.

I have found a place that makes leaving so hard and best friends that I could not live without. I realized how important straight A's are and how crucial it is to take school seriously. I grew up in so many ways and I can honestly say, I could not be more proud of myself. I would not change this experience out-of-state for the world.