Those who go to college just a short hour-and-a-half drive from home know just how lucky they are. Whether you are homesick and just want a home-cooked meal, sleep in your own full-sized bed or need a break after a stressful week, being close to home is a blessing. Whether you go to college in your hometown or in the same state, it has its advantages.
Everyone knows that after a while, you get stick of the dining hall “food,” microwaveable pizza or Ramen noodles. You can come home for just a day, weekend, or just 12 hours and enjoy those delicious home cooked meals. Nothing beats the feeling of sitting at the kitchen table with your family enjoying good food.
With the crazy atmosphere of college, it is sometimes nice to come home and get away from it. You get to sleep in your own room and full size bed instead of sharing a room with your roommate(s) and sleeping on an old twin size mattress that is hard as a rock. You don’t have to hear the three alarms your roommate sets to wake up in the morning or hear them talking in their sleep in the middle of the night. There is no pressure of having to be social and you can spend time either by yourself or with your family. Nothing says being home than sleeping in and watching Netflix without having to use headphones.
Some people might say that going to a college close to home has its downfalls. Downfalls which include you not actually experiencing college because you miss out on going somewhere new. You also may have a harder time learning how to be independent if you go home too often. You have to learn how to do your own laundry eventually!
But the best part about being close to home is that you get to see your family more than most people. You get to spend more time with your grandparents, be there for your little siblings and get advice on life from your parents. It’s nice to be able to decide Sunday morning to drive home and be lying on the couch by lunch. But most importantly, you get to see your pets more often than most people. Sometimes you just need to have a snuggle-sesh with your dog after a stressful week.
For me, I love going to school close to home. I can easily go home any time I want while still being far away enough that I feel like I am actually at college. I miss my family and especially my dogs very quickly, so the ability for me to go home comes in handy. For everyone else who goes to school close to home, I hope you realize how lucky you are and take advantage of it because not to many people are blessed with this opportunity.
