I go to Westfield State University, and although I technically live in another state I actually live closer to college than any of my friends. I actually live within an hour of my school. If you drive fast I'm a half hour away.
There are a lot of pros and cons to living so close to home, some of them are:
PRO: You can go home as often as you want to visit your furry/non-furry family
Whenever I want to go home I can because I have a car on campus and if I didn't I know my parents would come get me because my dad only works 15 minutes from my school. Sometimes I just feel really stressed out during the week and need some cuddling time with my dogs along with venting to my mom. I can drive home and back to school in the same night.
CON: A lot of the people you meet live very far away
A lot of my friends live close to 2 hours away or more, which means I won't be able to see them in the summer either at all or as much as I would like to. Driving up to where they live, is a serious road trip that isn't too fun to take by yourself.
PRO: Home cooked meals!!
Let's face it, we all get pretty sick of the food on campus and us college kids only have so much money to spend. Whenever I want to I can drive home if my mom is making my favorite meal (tacos, which she does rarely) or to just surprise her and steal her cooking!
CON: You see a lot of people you know
Going to Westfield there are a lot of students that are from my town and went to my high school. I came with my best friend from high school and while that was helpful to adjust, there are some people from my town that I see and never really talked to and don't know if I should say hi. A lot of awkward encounters.
PRO: You can have a job both near campus and at home
My job at home has a policy that you need to work every 90 days or you are deleted from the system. Since I work so close, last year I was able to work every other weekend so I had more money in my pocket. This year I decided that working once a month would be enough since I have a job on campus also.
CON: You don't really get to explore "a whole new world"
I applied to a bunch of schools in New York, one being in the big apple because I wanted a change of scenery and a new journey. The idea of having this entire new city to explore, is a very exciting feeling. With being so close to home, you don't really have that feeling of excitement.
PRO: Being able to go home on random weekends to see your friends from home
I have a best friend at home who rarely gets weekends off, so whenever we can hangout we do. At school I miss her a lot, so being just a half hour away I can drive home to see her just about any time that I want (when neither of us are swamped with homework).
Whether you choose living close to home or far away, a visit home is always needed once in a while. You can never forget where you came from.
