Ever since I was young, I have been categorized as what many people call an introverted extrovert. In certain situations, like big crowd setting with strangers, I am a very reserved person. When I decided to attend a school that was over 1,300 miles away from home, I was taking a big step. Anytime someone goes off to college, it’s a big deal but it seems to be a little bit harder for those who leave to go states away from home. I was lucky enough to go to a school that my older brother attended, but there are still a lot of things I had to learn and deal with on my own.

During freshman year, you learn so many new things and are open to a new lifestyle. You essentially have to become an adult. You have to learn how to get yourself up for class, successfully do your own laundry without shrinking anything, maintain a healthy diet, and figure out how to balance school, extracurricular activities, and jobs.

The hardest part I had to grow accustomed to was not living a car ride away from home, which can be very intimidating. I didn’t have the luxury of being able to drive a few hours and get away from the college life for a weekend. If I wanted to go home, it has to be thoroughly planned out and booked in advance.

Although there are some negatives to living out of state for school, there are many things I learned that help me grow up and become an independent person. Many of the things I’ve learned from going to an out-of-state school are similar to things every college student had learned that still live in the same state as their family, but not everyone has the same experiences.

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have parents that helped me through situations that seemed challenging when I was in high school, like getting my car repaired or going to the doctor. I had to learn how to haggle with a phone company over broken phones or understand what medicines doctors we giving to me even though I have little knowledge on that.

Over time, I have become more confident in my ability to handle "adult" situations that I normally would have turned to my parents for. I became more confident in talking to strangers, speaking up for myself in sticky situations, and asking questions when I don’t understand. It helped me become the person I am today. Before, I was timid in approaching conversations.

Now, I can talk to strangers with ease and readily put myself into intimidating conversations. If I hadn’t gone to a school out of my home state, I would not have learned as much as I have about myself. Looking back in my three years of college, I am able to point out the differences I see in myself. I am able to see where I have grown, and I truly believe that if I had gone to a school in my home state of Florida, I would not have grown into the person I am today.

So, what could you learn from the experience of going to an out-of-state school or taking the job in a different state? I would say, take the risk. Sure, it’s very intimidating and scary, but once you find that your feet have hit the ground, you’ll become more confident in who you are.