As a naïve 17/18-year-old, there are often two feelings when looking into future colleges: get me the heck out of here or what the heck am I going to do being away from home. With college decision deadlines quickly approaching, I think it’s important for high school seniors to explore all of their college options in depth. High school is sort of like a bubble and it’s often so hard to see that an entire world exists outside of the bubble. Well, I am here, coming back from the outside with two years of college experience to tell you why going out of state for college is the best decision I’ve ever made.
1. You’ll gain a new perspective on life.
The majority of us have spent our entire lives in a community that has grown to feel very ‘cookie-cutter.’ Most people have very similar views on how people should act. There’s a process that the community expects everyone will follow as they transition into adulthood, and there isn’t much change over the years. It’s a never ending cycle. When you get the chance to leave your community and experience the world in a different setting for a while you realize how different every community, state, and country really are. The ability to experience somewhere new places teaches you a worldly adaptability and acceptance you can’t get otherwise.
2. It might be your only opportunity to choose where you live.
We only get to be young for so long. College is a very interesting dynamic of being an independent adult but also relying a lot on our family and peers for support. Your college years are really meant for finding yourself and determining how you want to spend the rest of your life. You get to choose your college, it’s your decision, and it could be the first and last time you have control over all the aspects in your life. As a child your parents have probably made a lot of decisions for you. When you enter the work force it is rare to come across a job that gives your total freedom, especially until you gain experience. Maybe you’ll be lucky, but most likely you will have to live where the money is. So, take the opportunity now to experience the world in college and decide if where you are from is where you belong or if somewhere new is better.
3. You just might find something new that makes you your happiest.
Different regions value different aspects of life more than others. Maybe where you are from sports are of the upmost importance to the community. Well, somewhere out there is a community that arts, or music, or individuality are the more important than sports. If you don’t the chance to discover a school that will allow you to discover yourself, you might just get stuck with the high school version of yourself and your happiness forever.
4. It’s a completely fresh start.
We all have our demons. Whether just a few or maybe a few more, we have all made decisions that we are not proud of. Often, these decisions have followed us because the same peers have surrounded us all these years. So this is your opportunity to start over, redefine yourself, and get the second chance that you so deserve. Even if a few people you’ve grow up with go to your college, you’re entering a student body of more than a few thousand and chances are you could go your whole four years and only see them twice. If your high school friends are really your life long friends, going to different colleges will not change that.
5. It helps you appreciate where you come from.
It’s hard to understand how good we have it when we are ‘stuck’ inside the community that we have spent our entire life in. We grow used to the way things are an eventually get bored of them. We take the little things for granted and are unable to see the beauty in the most everyday activities. Removing yourself from this place gives you the chance to miss the parts of home you never knew you enjoyed. You learn a lot about your life when you see from an outside distance. I was never outwardly ecstatic to be from Colorado while I lived there, but leaving gave me a sense of pride in the community that raised me. Distance really does make the heart grow fonder and it makes coming home that much sweeter.
Don’t choose a college for anyone else. College is an experience entirely your own and should be based on no opinions but your own. Just because you’re three best high school friends are doing something doesn’t mean it’ll be right for you; chances are you’ll lose contact with them during your freshmen year anyway. As sad as it is, the majority of our high school friends were our friends out of convenience and we quickly realize we didn’t have anything in common with them anyway. The people you care about will always be there to support you even if they’re far away and the people that can’t handle the distance aren’t important anyways. Family will always be family and moving away will only give them more of a reason to travel; modern technology makes it insanely easy to keep in constant contact. In no way will it be the easiest decision or transition, but challenges are important in helping us grow as people. Without challenging ourselves and testing our limits, how will we know what we can truly accomplish. Take a chance, go somewhere new, give it your best effort and see what happens. I moved from Colorado to California and have no regrets, but you might if you don’t seize your opportunity to go somewhere new.
