When you committed to a college in New England, you thought you'd be stepping into familiar territory. After all, New York and New England sound extremely similar, and are located in the same geographical area of the United States.

When you got to school, however, you noticed some key differences in the New York and New England lifestyle. Here are the thoughts I (and you, my fellow New Yorkers) have definitely had:

About the food…

1. You wondered why the hell anyone would dip perfectly good pizza in ranch dressing.
2. But then you skeptically tried a bite and loved it.
3. And you're appalled at yourself for repeatedly committing this pizza sin…
4. But you swear you’d never do that to a good New York slice.

About the sports...

1. You would rather be dead than root for the Red Sox.
2. And don’t get me started on cheering for the Patriots.
3. You hate that the ever-present Islanders jerseys have been replaced with Bruins jerseys.
4. And you just can't understand the Tom Brady hype.

About the fashion...

1. You wonder if everyone who wears boat shoes actually owns a boat.
2. You find yourself constantly defending the lack of color in your wardrobe (black means never having to worry about matching, OK?).
3. You have a burning desire to personally remove every Vineyard Vines store from New England.
4. You low-key see more stylish girls walking down Newbury Street than down the streets of New York (but you would never admit it).

About the lingo...

1. You still laugh every time someone says “wicked” before an adjective.
2. You're angry that none of the towns are pronounced the way they should be. (Looking at you, Worcester.)
3. You're baffled that anyone would call a water fountain "the bubbler.”
4. You're bewildered that people refer to Dunkin’ Donuts as “Dunks.” (If you're going to shorten it, it's just Dunkin'...duh.)

I'm always proud to say I'm from New York, but I'm learning to love New England for it's differences. Because while New York may have the better pizza, it's hard to complain when you can get award-winning lobster rolls right down the street.