Going to college far away from home is not easy. However, one benefit is that you learn a lot about yourself and the people around you when you do.

1. How much your parents did for you.

Laundry? Grocery shopping? And especially being a shoulder to cry on after a bad day. As an 18 year old we think we know everything and look at college as a chance to prove our independence by picking the farthest place possible. In the end though, even though we love our choice, we end up realizing and appreciating our mom and dad a lot more. Especially since we can't just drive home for a weekend for a home cooked meal and a nap on the couch.

2. How great your friends from home are.

Even though we were together since preschool and you thought you couldn't wait to try something new, you realize those friends are irreplaceable. They were there for you through every prom, bad hair day and messy breakup. They were your back bone for so long, and at first they may seem hard to replace. Also your friends from home give you a baseline of what to look for in your new college friends, so you'll know what to look for to make more strong lasting friendships.

3. How your college friends become your family.

Since you aren't going home every weekend and are separated from everything that you know, it becomes a whirlwind how close all of you get so fast. They give you a perspective on life that you've never heard of before and make you realize more about yourself than you ever had. These are more than best friends that you are making, these are people that are stepping up to the plate and making sure you get through OK. From making sure you get home from the frat parties, to waking you up for 6 a.m. practice, to finally making sure you study for your philosophy midterm because your teacher is a tough grader. Your group takes turns being the shoulder to cry on for each other and tries to fill the hole that being so far away from your family leaves. You fight like family, but you also love each other like family.

4. Your new surroundings give you new opportunities.

You never realized how much you were going to miss that greasy pizza parlor on the corner where the owners would call you by name and wish you good luck on the big game tomorrow. Other than being away from family and friends, your surrounding are also a huge change. What it does do though is it forces you to explore. Being in unknown surrounding gives you a blank slate—so many new places to discover, new restaurants to try, and favorite spots to find. Saying it expands your horizons is a huge understatement.

5. You are capable of doing it!

To all those people that said you'd be home by Christmas, show them that even though going that far away is hard, that's it's one of the best decisions you've ever made. You took a huge leap, you were brave enough to start some place new and didn't go to the state school that your entire senior class went to. And you want to know what the best part is? You are doing it.