For some, moving away from home can be something that is pretty scary. But for me, it was terrifying. After I graduated from high school I thought I had my college plans figured out; I was going to move 45 minutes away to a college that I had always dreamt of going to, but I was too afraid to leave home. So I took a semester off to figure out what I really wanted to do and took it for myself.

My two best friends were away at a college and it looked like they were having so much fun, and as scary as it was, I wanted to be there. So I took the big step and applied. I told myself that if I didn't get in it was going to be okay, it wasn't meant to be. but if I did, it was something that I needed to consider.

A few weeks letter I received an acceptance letter and I was beyond excited but terrified at the same time. I told myself, however, that if I passed up this offer I would regret it, so I packed up all my stuff and headed three hours away from home to start a new, exciting, yet terrifying chapter in my life. I went in blind, which meant that my roommate was going to be someone that I didn't know (a thought that terrifies me). I realized that for four months I was going to be living with someone that I didn't know, let alone ever met.

I was the first to arrive at the dorm and I was able to set up most of my stuff before she got there. We had been texting but I knew that it was still going to be weird living with someone in a small shoebox room that I barely knew. But luckily she walked in and we immediately hit it off, I didn't know that the girl walking in was going to end up being on of my best friends at the end of the semester.

Now, don't get me wrong; we both didn't walk in, become best friends, and it was all easy and fun. It was still so scary! It was my first time ever living on my own, I had to make sure my laundry was done, that my homework was done, that I had food in my room, and also make sure that I had enough time to do homework even when all I wanted to do was hang out with friends.

Although I didn't get to go home that much, I was able to go home for a three day weekend a month before the end of the semester and coming back to school by myself hit me harder than I ever thought it would. I was so homesick, I stayed in my room a lot and just laid in bed, I started skipping meals and a few classes, and all in all I just started getting really down on myself. But all it took was my roommate to come into our room sit on my bed, looking me in the eyes, and say "We are family now, everything is going to be okay," to convince me that I was going to have a life long friend.

Jump ahead a little bit and I started packing up all my stuff to move back home, and although I was still missing my family and so excited to go home, I found myself getting really sad about leaving. I had moved three hours away by myself and met so many people that I considered family, a group of seven girls that welcomed me in and made me feel loved and like a part of a family. Saying goodbye to them was awful (lots of tears) but I was ready to go home.

My dad came to pick me up. We loaded up the car and I headed home for the summer. As soon I got home one of my aunts asked me, "Are you happy to be home?" and my response told me that I had made the right decision, to put myself out there and live for only myself, learn to take care of myself and others, but to know that it's like to miss your family and feel so happy to see them again. I looked at my aunt and with no hesitation, I said, "I can't wait to go back."

Moving away was something that was terrifying but you have to put yourself out there and take risks. it's crazy to think that I had to move three hours away to find myself and to live a little; I did things that I never thought I would do and I wouldn't change it for the world.

If you have the opportunity to move away from home and go to school, do it. There are many people out there that would die to move away for school but can't, I promise you that it will be life-changing and that you'll move home loving yourself and your family so much more.