I would argue that decisions are one of the hardest parts about life. There are countless options, each with their own positives and negatives. Sometimes, everything just seems so unclear and it feels impossible to decide. This hatred of decisions and uncertainty was more clear to me in the college decision process than any other time. Choosing a college is like choosing your second home. It is, ideally, where you will be spending the next four years of your life. Every little aspect seems like it matters.
Some people choose a small school, while others prefer a large one. Some prefer an urban setting, whereas others fall in love with a suburban campus. However, in my opinion, the biggest separator: those that venture far from home, and those that stay closer.
As I, one who ventured far from home, have discovered there are both ups and downs to discovering a new area and being away from all that I knew. While I love my home here now, there are some huge struggles.....
1. Being sick while away from home is the worst ever
Before, you could always count on your mom taking care of you and making you soup for your sore throat. After a day of laying in bed and hanging around the house, you were ready to return to your normal self. Now, your life is far less glamorous. You drink soup out of microwavable soup cans and pop Advil like it's no-body's business. You are your own mom and it stinks.
2. Three day weekends mean you can't go home while everyone else can
One of the worst feelings ever: waving goodbye to your friends through their car windows as they head home for long weekends. You, on the other hand, are in for the weekend with nothing but homework and Netflix. The six hour bus ride, cost of the ticket, and all the hassle is just too much for you to handle in three short days.
3. Visits home take lots of advance planning
On the rare occasion that there is a long enough weekend, or a holiday break, lots of planning goes into getting you home. There is bus/plane tickets to buy, bags to pack, and people to contact. You do not have the luxury of just thinking "I think i'll go home this week." Your Christmas and Thanksgiving tickets were purchased at least six months in advance.
4. No surprise visits from parents
As much as you claimed you wanted to get away from them, you miss your family more than you ever thought imaginable. The moments when you realize it the most are when your friends' parents come by to take them out for dinner or drop of something from home. You wish you had that luxury. Instead, you see your parents at holidays and eat at the dining hall with friends.
5. Being Homesick
As much as your friends at school are your "family," they can never really replace the people you shared everything with. After not seeing home for four months, homesickness gets hard to shake. You miss your bed, your pets, your family, and all the little things in between.
6. Doubt
Sometimes after a really bad day when all you want is to go home and you realize you can't, you start questioning the decision you made. Is this the right school for me? Is it too far? Can I keep doing this? Will this day ever end? You don't get to call your parents and ask them to pick you up. Instead, you call them on FaceTime and pretend like they are in your small room with you.
7. Missing out on things from home
Even though you chose to go to school far away, some of your friends stayed close by. Sometimes, when you're laying in bed at school and get a snapchat or see an Instagram post of them all together, you can't help but feel sad that you aren't there. You can't casually drop by their house to see their face or go to their birthday party. You live six plus hours away.
8. Forgetting things at home
Packing is the worst in every situation. It gets even more complicated when you have to bring your entire life back and forth between two locations. Inevitably, you slip up sometimes and leave something at home. Instead of driving home or having your parents drop it off, you have to either wait for them to mail it or to grab it the next time you go home.
9. Easter
Unlike every other holiday, spring break and Easter don't overlap. So, while everyone else that lives close by goes home for the holiday, you're stuck hanging at school or temporarily joining a friends family. Neither choice is your favorite.
10. Not having your mom and dad at your disposal
Even though you're technically an adult now, sometimes you just need a hug. You need your parents to hold you in their arms and tell you that everything is going to be alright. However, driving six plus hours for a hug isn't really a good excuse to miss class...
