Deciding where you are going to go to college is one of the biggest decisions you will make in your life. For the next four years or more, this is the place that you are going to call home and the place that is going to change you into an adult. As you make this decision, you need to think about what you want your career path to be. You never think about all you will learn from the new life experience.

Not being able to go home all the time is a blessing in disguise.

When everyone was going home for certain breaks and holidays, you may not always have the benefit of being able to do the same. It may seem like a burden, but soon you will learn that not being able to go home means you are able to be completely immersed in your new home. Some people go home every other weekend and miss out on things that are happening in college. You, on the other hand, don't miss out on your new life.

You grow beyond those you know and places you've already been.

While many of your high school friends decide to go to college with people they already knew, or close to home, it may start to worry you that you are missing out on something. But making the decision to go out of state to school will force you to extend outside of your social circle. You will meet new people and see new sites you've never seen before. It is like a new adventure every day, that you can take on and experience by yourself.

It makes you appreciate your parents more.

You'll be lucky if you get to see your parents once a month. There will be days when you get home from class that all you wish was that you had your mom's home-cooked meals and dad's jokes. You look back and are thankful for the times they took you to after school activities, scheduled doctor's appointments, and did everything you ever needed. As you grow up, they become your best friends, and the times you see them become your favorite moments.

You meet people extremely different from yourself, who teach you a lot about life.

When going to college in a different state from the one you grew up in, you realize how different people are based on where they live. Some people live a little bit slower than you, or even a little bit faster, but you learn to keep up and live the way they live. The people you meet show you a different way of life. You love them as if they were your own family because they are now the ones who consistently see you. They teach you to love stronger and be in the moment because these four years fly by.

Being away makes you a stronger person.

When you're away at college, you are fending for yourself. Mom and Dad aren't there to cook, clean, or be there when you need small things done. You sometimes feel alone because you are far away, but you learn that is not true. Being an out of state student forces you to create relationships with people who are more than friends, but family instead. You become a person who is adaptable, accepting, and strong. If you can move out of state at the age of 18, there is not much you cannot handle.