Before college, I lived in the same place my entire life. In the same house, in the same town, in the same state. By the time that I graduated high school, I was very ready to leave town and go my own way. College was a great way to get out of my small town and into a different place.

You’re suddenly the odd one out.

I didn’t just leave my home state, I left the whole region. I traveled to the south of the Mason-Dixon Line for college, and immediately acquired the label “Northerner” (in addition to “Yankee” and “Carpetbagger” one time). Most people weren’t mean about where I came from, but it was very clear that I wasn’t considered one of them. At times, I felt pretty isolated from the friends that I made. They had slang, customs, and common values that I didn’t share because I was from a completely different state.

You don’t know anyone.

Since you’re in a different state, you have to make all new friends. When it comes to college, you don’t get to move with your friends and family—you’re on your own. Lots of in-staters will come from the same high schools or same towns, so they will already have a group of friends they can hang out with during those awkward first few weeks where everyone is trying to meet people. As an out-of-stater, you have to put forth a little more effort than everyone else to meet people.

People always ask where you’re from and why you have a funny accent.

So when you are meeting new people, after a while, they’ll find out you’re from a different state. Whether they guess or you tell them, they’ll have a few questions for you:

"Where are you from exactly?"

"Why do you talk like that?"

"Why are you here, then?"

After a few interactions, you’ll have the answers to those questions ready to go whenever they’re asked, which is a good thing, because people will continue to ask them all year.

You have to learn about your new home in addition to the material you learn your classes.

While everyone else is focused on studying in their classes, you’re focused on studying them. You have to learn the ins and outs of a new culture. There’s a new pace of life, and new way of thinking, and a new expectation of how you’re supposed to act. For me, I had to learn to take my time, talk slower, and try to be a little more polite (southerners are all about their niceties).

You don’t get any of the comforts of home.

It takes me an entire day of driving to get from my university to my home. That means I’m a few hundred miles from my family, friends, favorite foods, and familiar places at any given time. Most of the time you won’t notice your homesickness, because college is pretty awesome and keeps you busy. But there will come a weekend when all the in-staters leave campus in a mass exodus for home and you’ll be left alone for a few days; that’s when homesickness hits.

You get a genuine sense of independence.

Being that far from home isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. You have to learn how to do things for yourself. When you have problems, you have to handle them. You can’t just drive home, or ask your friends or family to come to you. You get to make your own schedule and decide how you spend your time. You’re kind of almost an adult.

You get new experiences you could never get at home.

But the best part about being an out-of-state student is gaining new experiences, connections, and friendships you couldn’t have gotten if you stayed at home. I mean, you left for a reason, right? Well, this is it. Seeing new things and meeting new people makes all of the struggles of being and out-of-stater worth it.