This fall, I will travel 2,600 miles from dusty Arizona to cloudy Massachusetts. On paper, this four-figure number may seem large, but it doesn’t compare to the amount of excitement I feel when I hear the word “college.” In fact, I got so excited that I thought of 20 things that make me eager when I envision my life as a college student on the East Coast.

  1. Taking classes that truly interest me

2. Learning from my peers

3. Making new friends

4. Learning the best places on campus to study

5. Riding the subway (a.k.a. the T)

6. Listening to the college radio station

7. Being near the ocean

8. Snow

9. Making a snowman with the aforementioned snow

(A live depiction of me interacting with a snowman.)

10. Gaining a new appreciation for hot beverages

11. Finding people with Boston accents

12. Raising a cactus in my dorm

13. Having an entire bottle of shampoo to myself

14. Joining Cheese Eating Club

15. Taking advantage of the opportunity to eat chicken nuggets on a daily basis

16. Gaining the Freshman 15 two weeks into the semester because I ate too many chicken nuggets

17. Visiting the fitness center to work off those 15 pounds

18. Accepting those 15 extra pounds as more to love

19. Gaining confidence in myself and my abilities

20. Opening the door to an abundance of opportunities

In the near future, the numbers on my list may grow to match the number of miles I will travel to reach my college dorm. With that in mind, I am prepared to jump into an environment that will not only expand my collection of friends, sweaters and college textbooks, but also my perspective of the universe.