Many friends have told me how hard it is to be away from home when they go off to college. They talk about how they only get to see their families once a month, if that, they have to move everything to/from their dorm/apartment every couple of months, and worst of all, they may have to actually have to do their own laundry.

None of this has ever phased me. Since I was six years old, I wanted to get as far away from my home as possible for college. Not because I hated my home, on the contrary, I love my home and the neighborhood I grew up in. I just wanted to go somewhere warm where it was baseball season all year round, where the sun was always shining, and where there were plenty of beautiful girls roaming around campus. So I chose Arizona State.

I tell many people that ASU was my dream school and they just scoff, assuming that I am either an alcoholic, idiot or party animal. I held a 3.4 GPA at one of the most prestigious high schools in Illinois, drank my fair share of adult beverages, and I didn’t mind staying in on the weekends. I simply fell in love with the school for their baseball program, their business school, their campus and atmosphere. If you don’t know what I mean by the atmosphere, let me give you an example. During my summers, I work in Downtown Chicago at a law office. More often than not I go to Starbucks to get my morning Cup O’ Joe. When I get to the counter the person typically says, “What can I getcha?” Not too bad, right? But when I visited Arizona when I was in high school, I walked into Starbucks at 7 am on a Saturday morning and the girl behind the counter had the brightest smile I’d ever seen on someone that early in the morning and exclaimed, “Hi! How are you?” To which I replied that I was fine and we actually started a conversation about why I was just fine and not “awesome,” “grand,” or “spectacular.”

I told friends I was going to ASU and they said they had wanted to go there but it was “too far,” or too much of a party school. People party anywhere, you just have to discipline yourself. And unless you’re right down the street when you’re going to college, you’re not going to go home anyway unless you absolutely hate your school, and that’s a different problem entirely. My sister said ASU was too far away after she’d spent her first semester there and then transferred to the University of Dayton. UD was a six-hour drive from my house. Tempe is a 3.5-hour flight. I was much more content with my choice. Oh, by the way, not only was I the only person from my graduating class to go to ASU, I was the only person in my high school to go there in the past 4 years! I was completely alone to start fresh when I got there, and that forced me to make friends quickly.

I liked being away from home to go to school because, above all things, it was warm! I was able to wear shorts and tanks to class without worrying about frostbite or hypothermia. Then, the opportunity to be on my own set in. You don’t have a curfew, live by your own rules essentially, and you are your own boss in terms of time management. There is no one forcing you to wake up early, you can be as neat or dirty as you want, I prefer the former, and you are independent. The overwhelming freedom I experienced was incredible. You do have to become very responsible, though. If you manage it well, you can still do very dumb and very fun things.

There were drawbacks, of course. Homesickness hits everyone but doesn’t last long once you find a group of friends to hangout with all the time. It’s not as big of a deal as many make it out to be. Sometimes it sucks, but if I was coming home all the time, I wouldn’t be getting to enjoy college as much as I should have.

Being the only person from my high school let alone my entire neighborly area to be going to ASU, I was lonely, but only at first. I tried out for the club baseball team at ASU and made great friends on day one. I continued to play there, even after trying to play at another school for a semester, with some of the coolest friends I’ve ever had. Being alone in AZ to start allowed me to make some of the closest friendships I’ve ever had along with being able to start anew when I got there.

Being so far from home and not having a car sucks, but you’ll easily find a friend willing to drive you or lend you their car. I had no way of getting food or to practice without a car and my friends definitely helped me through that. I had to walk to every class and practically everywhere else. But that actually allows you to appreciate your campus a lot more and get some exercise between studying, classes and partying. I was walking at least a mile every day, to and from class, when it was 110 degrees, so most of you shouldn’t have a problem.

The worst part, at least for me, was being away from my dad. He’s been my best friend since I could remember and not being able to see him all the time does suck. A lot. However, I can call/skype/text him whenever and I see him every break I get. In all honesty, this happens anytime you move out of the house, even temporarily, if you have a parent who’s also a best friend.

In the end, it’s all about feeling comfortable. Don’t let a great opportunity pass you up because your dream school seems mediocre, or it’s too far, or you won’t have friends. You’ll make friends no doubt, and who cares what everyone else thinks. You’re the one who has to live with your decision. Unfortunately, I had to leave ASU due to financial issues, but I came to ISU and had a great time as well and wouldn't change a thing. I could easily go back and visit Arizona, which I have, to see my friends that still go to school there. Just remember, it’s not about making a good decision, it’s about making a decision good.