In my junior year of high school, my guidance counsellor started to push me to look at colleges. I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go. I wondered whether I wanted to go away or stay home for college. I wondered whether it was a good idea to attend college away from home or not. I looked at schools locally and even out of state, but in my heart, I knew I couldn’t leave home. I was happy that my friends and peers chose their college that was out of state, but staying at home for college was one of the best decisions I ever made.
I couldn’t imagine that heart breaking moment of my parents dropping me off at school and watching them walk away as I walk into my dorm all by myself. I knew I would be incredibly homesick and would want to come home whenever I felt lonely or sad. I couldn’t imagine leaving my family, pets, and friends behind. I wanted to watch everything happen at home right in front of me rather than behind a phone or computer screen. I would have come home for the holidays if I went away to school, but I would miss the weekly Friday night dinners with my family. Not only that, but my family could watch me grow into the person who I’ll be for the rest of my life. I knew I would make friends and have fun, but I would always have the feeling of being homesick no matter what I was doing.
The college I attended was an all commuter school; there were no dorms of off-campus housing. Everyone was able to come to school and go home. With that in common, I have made so many friends that will stay in my life forever. I am able to watch my nephew grow and flourish along with the addition of my second nephew. If I have a bad day at school, I’m able to go home and cry in my own bed, or talk to my parents. I’m able to sit down and eat homemade meals when I don’t have night classes. I’m able to hold a job so I can make a living for myself. I’m able to hang out with both my college friends and my close friends from high school. I have developed new friendships and strengthen the ones I already had. Even though I don’t have the experience of living on my own, I’m still able to be responsible for myself and have a great college experience.
Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly happy to see everyone who went away to school flourish and become their own person, but I feel I still got that while living at home. So many of my friends from high school went away to school and some from college even transferred out and I support them completely. However, I was told that when I chose to stay home, I’m going to seriously regret it, but it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I couldn’t imagine my college years being any different.
