If you go to college, go out of state.
I know it isn't that simple. There are financials and family and friends and a whole life you're leaving behind. But if you have the opportunity to go out into the world and make a new home for yourself, I encourage you to take it and run. Go as far as you can. Plant your roots in an unfamiliar place, fall in love with new streets, meet a million new people.
Change your nickname. Change it again. Make something of yourself, do things that you never thought you could do.
Identify your comfort zone and step out of it. Blur the lines so you're comfortable everywhere that you can be yourself. Find yourself in the long nights and early mornings, let yourself fall into the routine of another city in another state. Let yourself change as you have new experiences. Growth is good, I promise.
Make friends that you would have never met if you hadn't taken that leap of faith. Take your boundaries and extend them far and wide, take it all in as much as possible. Fall in love. Get your heart broken. You'll probably break a few hearts, too. All of these experiences will help you learn about yourself and what you need, and they'll point you in the right direction.
Appreciate college for what it is: a center of learning. It's self-discovery and it's also a privilege to be able to get a higher education. Try and go to your 8 am lecture, I know it's hard to wake up. Take the classes that interest you. Pursue the career you want, that you never thought you'd be good enough for. Take the risk.
You never know the life you could be losing if you let your fears get in the way. I know college is a big decision on its own. I know that the thought of moving by yourself is scary. But you're more capable than you think. You'll have sometimes when you struggle, sometimes when mistakes become lessons learned. But in the big picture, it will only help you later on. You'll learn. You'll feel more confident and independent. You'll learn to be truly happy with yourself, and you'll learn that you are your own home at the end of the day, and it's the most secure feeling in the world.
Don't feel guilty for leaving. Don't feel sad for leaving your hometown behind. Because you can love as many places as you want, you can have as much family and friends as you want. When you can make anywhere feel like home, that's how you know you've found yourself.
From someone who took the risk and would do it all again in a heartbeat, go out of state for college. Take control of your own life and jump feet first. Just don't forget to enjoy the ride.
