Feeling at home in a place that isn’t home for the first time is an indescribable feeling. It’s wrong, because how could a place that clearly isn’t home feel like home? But at the same time, it’s right, because for once, you feel like you belong somewhere aside from the town you grew up in.
That’s how I felt when I finally visited the University of Michigan for the first time. I was excited, and beyond ready to see the campus that I would (hopefully) call home. I expected to feel happy, of course, but I never expected the sense of contentment and rightness that overtook me the minute I stepped foot on campus.
This is it, I thought. This is home.
The people were friendly, the environment was nothing short of inviting, and I knew I belonged there. I spent hours exploring, seeing the sights, and doing the things that others told me I just had to do (including trying the Rose Petal gelato at Iorio’s. Spoiler alert: it is fantastic). I remember how I felt when I walked passed one of the practice fields. A giant M was painted in the center, and looking at it brought about a sense of comfort that I can’t explain. Seeing the sign above The Big House on my way in made me more excited than anything ever had.
Admittedly, change scares me. Anxiety takes over when I think about inevitable life changes when I think about what lies ahead. At Michigan, I never once felt anxious. For me, that in itself is a big step. For the first time in my life, change didn’t scare me.
If college has taught me anything, it’s that, eventually, some place that isn’t technically home will feel like home to you. You can’t force that feeling, but once you experience it, denying it is the most difficult thing in the world. With that said, don’t deny it. Take that feeling and let that be the force that drives you to make the best of the crazy changes that college life and adulthood will inevitably bring to your world.
The great thing about these changes is that you can embrace them, and take the opportunity to reinvent yourself. The people at your new home know nothing about you. You can pick and choose what you disclose, and they will know nothing more. They don’t know about your awkward, shy high school phase, and they don’t know the conflict and drama that came along with your most recent breakup and the ex that you’re leaving behind in the process. They know your name, but not your story. Here’s your chance to rewrite it.
College is your chance to rewrite your story, meet new people, and have a new place to call yours.
Make sure you choose the right place to call home.
