Going away to college, you learn a lot about yourself. For starters, you learn how to be on your own. You learn how to do your own laundry, pick up your room without being told, the importance of taking out the trash more than once a week and how to fend for yourself when it comes to meals. You also learn a lot about yourself through interacting with new people. Some people grow into their “true skin” in college because they find people just like them. High school was different because your friend group and who you associated with had kind of been predetermined for you long before you even knew who you wanted to be.

However, sometimes meeting new people can be a bit of a culture shock. If you go 1,000 miles away for college, you’ll be exposed to so many new people who may have completely different lifestyles. For me, I only moved 100 miles from home so my environment and the people in it aren’t that different from my hometown. Even so, as a girl from Long Island, I have noticed that the people from “upstate New York” are very different, starting with the fact that I am reminded all the time that apparently New Paltz isn’t upstate New York. But I can’t help it. If you’re a true Long Islander like me, you’ll be able to relate to this list:

Anything north of New York City is considered “upstate.”

Sorry, but if you're not from Long Island or the city, you live upstate in my world.

Freaking out when someone says you live in Long Island.

I live on Long Island.

If it’s not a Long Island bagel, it’s not a bagel at all.

It's just a fact.

If it’s not Long Island pizza, it’s not pizza at all.

This is also just a fact.

Complaining about a drive to the beach that’s more than 20 minutes long.

Or just being taken aback when someone says they go to the beach once or twice a summer. As a Long Islander, if your car isn't full of sand by the end of August, you didn't spend your summer the right way.

Complaining that it’s way too cold upstate, even though the temperature difference is only about 5 degrees (in New Paltz, at least.)

If you attend school in Buffalo or Potsdam, this is most certainly not true and I'm sorry if I offended you.

Refusing to drink the tap water.

You just don't trust it the way you trust LI water.

Even though they’re chain restaurants, Starbucks and Dunkin' just aren’t as good here as they are on Long Island.

As an avid coffee drinker, I stand by this 100%. Don't get me wrong, I very much appreciate having easy access to coffee on campus, but there's something about it that makes me miss my Dunkin' at home a little bit.

Knowing little to none about the geography anywhere above New York City.

...but you know how to pronounce Massapequa, Ronkonkoma and Copiague so who's the real winner here?

People who obey speed limits are a bunch of squares who piss you off to no end.

Obeying speed limits on Long Island earns you a bunch of angry honks and a Toyota tailgating you. You just don't do it.

You love 7-11.

You can always count on trusty 7-11 to be open when you crave a bag of chips or some Ben and Jerry's ice cream at two in the morning.

You hate New Jersey, for no real reason.

Nobody knows why. It's kind of like the Yankees vs Mets rivalry. It makes no sense because they're basically the same thing, but everyone just goes along with it.