In high school, I honestly thought that I would be going to college in New York since at the time it was the only place I could ever imagine myself spending my college years. When I started looking at schools however, most of the ones that had programs that fit what I was looking for ended up being in Boston, which is about a 30 minute drive from my house. At first, I searched and searched for every school on the east coast that had similar programs to the ones that I was looking for but were not in Boston. After a while, I came to terms with the fact that there was a 75% I was going to end up going to school in Boston. Looking back, it’s ridiculous that I ever thought going to school so close to home would be this terrible thing that would ruin my life. It’s not. I have no regrets going to a school close to home. Sure I sometimes have doubts about the school I chose but the doubts are never about the distance from my home.

The list of reasons for why going to college so close to home is actually amazing goes on and on, here’s 7 reasons why..

1.You Can Go Home WHENEVER You Want

When I first went off to college, I honestly did not think I would see my family during the semester except for holidays. Little did I know that it can get very exhausting in college, not just academic wise but social wise. You are literally almost always surrounded by people, which was amazing first semester since it helped me forget about how I never see my family or high school friends anymore but by second semester constantly being surrounded by people got really stressful so there were times when I’d go home for a weekend or even just the day to get away from all that.

2. You Get To See Your High School Friends Whenever They Come Home

There are times when college breaks don’t line up so it’s really frustrating when you know you won’t see some of your friends until summer break because your winter breaks only line up for a week. But luckily, since I’m a 30 minute drive from my town, whenever one of my best friends come home all it takes is a text and either I’m on the next commuter rail home or they’re on their way to visit me for lunch.

3. Since You’re From Here, You Already Know How The Trains Work

I used to take the train into the city quite often so I’m very used to how it works. I thought it was easy and self-explanatory, but after going on the T with several of my friends, I realize that it’s really not. It’s actually a very confusing system and some people get frustrated trying to figure it out at first. I’m so glad I did not have to learn a whole new train system, which I would have had to do had I gone to school in a different city.

4. You Also Already Know The General Layout Of Where Everything Is

The first year or so at college involves a lot of learning where everything is. Growing up close by, I knew the general layout of the land so instead of spending a ton of time figuring out where everything was in relation to Boston University, I was able to explore more of the places I already knew about and then spend time finding some new places.

There’s obviously more reasons why I don’t regret going to school in Boston but these are the top four reasons. The other reasons are more of bonuses that are nice to have but not a crucial part of why I like going to school 30 minutes from home.

Some of the bonuses include:

5.You Don't Need To Bring All Your Winter Clothes on Move-In Day

Winter clothes take up a TON of room. Living in a tiny dorm room means that you need all the space you can get and if you live close to home that means you can leave all the hats, scarves, and puffy coats at home until you actually need them!

6. Especially in Boston, the chances of high school friends going to school at one of the ten or so schools that are within a 10 mile radius of each other are very likely so you can see them whenever you’d like.

Two of my best friends go to school in Boston so I see them once every month or so which is amazing when I need a break from BU and want to spend some time with the people I grew up with.

7.You’re already used to the chilly Boston weather and know exactly when to pull out the Bean Boots and the winter jackets.

Lastly, growing up with the weather really helps you prepare when winter comes. There's always a lot of people who are scrambling trying to find the right winter jacket and trying to buy Bean Boots only to find out that you pretty much need to order the Bean Boots by September in order to get them before the cold sets in. It's nice knowing that you're already all set for the winter and know what to expect.