"Why?"

I get that question a lot.

Coastal Carolina is paradise. So why did I leave? Why did I leave a school next to Myrtle Beach that has a beautiful campus, great sports teams, amazing people, and far enough away from home to be away from my family and my small, unproductive town. It was a fresh start. I even told my best friends at school and back home, "I'll never leave. This place is perfect and I have zero reason to go back home."

Everything I thought I wanted, no, everything I knew I wanted, changed.

It's not that I hated having my own room in an apartment, the beautiful weather every morning, loyal friends, unreal parties every weekend, or being around people that are generally nicer than those back home. I didn't fail out, I was actually killing it academically.

I simply read the signs gradually and realized this was not where I was supposed to be anymore.

I'll always remember the first night I started changing.

It was May 9th. I just got back from school the day before, and I went into Boston with a few lifelong friends. I never minded going home for breaks, but this time was different. I was sitting by the waterfront at Battery Wharf and smoking a cigar, just looking around, realizing how much I loved the city. I knew I wanted to work here one day, live in an apartment and start my career, but this night really drove it home. This was my first sign.

If you know me from Coastal, you're definitely thinking I'm lying. I left because of my girl back home, right? Right. I would be lying through my teeth if I said otherwise; of course that's a factor. I'm a firm believer in not missing opportunities, and this was one I knew I would regret if I acted otherwise. That's how I ended up at Coastal in the first place, after all. I was supposed to go to a state school for engineering, but I would have hated myself if I didn't take a chance and go to Conway, South Carolina to experience life like I never have before.

But some opportunities are not meant to last forever.

I came home for a week in October and was sitting in my grandmother's house with my dad. He told me outright how making these tuition payments was really going to be a struggle, and unless I could figure out an alternative, he wasn't sure what else he could do.

So I took everything into account - my career, my family and friends, and my financial situation - and I made my decision.

I would transfer after the fall semester.

I had been previously considering transferring after the year was complete, but the time seemed to be now that I had to make this move. So I coordinated almost everything within the remainder of the semester and went home.

The thing is, it wasn't that simple. It's not all complete. I'm not even enrolled in a real school again yet; I'm temporarily at a community college for this semester. I still owe Coastal somewhere in the neighborhood of three thousand dollars, so even if I had wanted to, I would not have been allowed to go back this semester. And that's not all that seems to be a sign that I need to be back home. I have family issues to tend to, friends going through hard times, career opportunities to seek, and money to make.

I didn't want to leave Coastal, I really didn't. I wish I could have everything I wanted. But such is life that I cannot, and I had to choose what was more important for my future. Sure, I would have had more fun staying if I could, made more everlasting memories, and bonded with some great people. And yes I'm going to have to deal with snow this winter, live in my house for at least a semester, and be in the same boring town I grew up in. But life is constantly changing. Having fun may seem like the best option, but in regards to my future, I had to choose what is best - even if it is the worst looking decision in the short term. I'll never forget my time at Coastal Carolina; it will always be a huge part of me. And to my best friends there, we will always remain close, because of the bond we have formed over such a quick period of time. I'm truly blessed to have had my time there and to create some unbelievable memories with some amazing people. I'll miss it all.

Turn up or transfer.

Ishkava.