It’s senior year and deciding where to go to college is one of the most fun, yet most stressful times of your life. Some people are comfortable to go to college and stay home. Then there’s some of us who know going away to college is something you’ve always dreamed about. Since I was in middle school, I told my parents I wanted to go away to college. My parents are my best friends and I love my friends from back home. It had nothing to do with relationships, it was just a void that I needed to feel. Going away to college is one of the best decisions I have made and here are eight reasons why college away from home is a good thing.

YOU FIND YOURSELF

You realize that you just made your first adult decision; you’re living out your dream. College is just the first of many journeys you will have in your life. You realize when you walk on a campus of 20,000 + people you can be anyone you want to be.

YOU ARE INDEPENDENT

Mom and dad may still be helping you out, but you are on your own. You make your own decisions. You eventually have to grow up. When you start making those adult choices, for yourself, you feel accomplished.

YOU STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

It’s nice to break out of the norm. You see so much when you go away to college. You realize that there is so much this world has to offer than just your small town. When you are away from your comfort zone, it eventually gets easier to try new things.

YOU CAN START OVER

High school wasn’t for you? Guess what? No one cares. You get to have a new life. You can start over and be the person you want to be. College is a breath of fresh air. Especially when you are hours away from home.

YOU MEET FRIENDS FROM ALL OVER

I have friends from all over the states and even outside the country. You see new cultures and new ways of life. All your friends have different accents. It is pretty awesome to know that whenever you want to travel you know someone wherever you go.

SO MUCH DIVERSITY

When walking on a college campus, you never know what you are going to get. Everyone is so different. There’s not one person the same. People are not afraid to be themselves. No one judges and if they do, people really don’t care.

YOU MAKE MISTAKES

College helps you deal with those mistakes because you can’t call mom and dad to come bail you out. College is there to help you learn how to grow from those mistakes.

GOING HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS HAS NEVER FELT BETTER

I go home maybe one time a semester, besides Thanksgiving and Christmas. I knew from the beginning that I did not want to stay close to home for college, but when I get to go home, it is one of the best feelings. It makes you appreciate when your dog’s run and jump on you for the first time in three months, your friends all come over for a sleepover, and just sitting on your front porch with mom and dad.

College is such a great experience. Like my parents always say, “You can go anywhere in the world and you can still get home in one day.” Make the most of college, because you make some of the best memories during those four years.