By the end of our senior year of high school, most of us are ready to flee the nest and embark on the next chapter of our lives. While some of us go to college 10 minutes away from home, others go 2 plane rides away. There is no right or wrong choice to make; while I was terrified at first of going to school so far away from home, I’ve learned to love the distance and enjoy it in every way possible. If you’re nervous about sending in that application to an out-of-state school, don’t be - press submit and thank me later.

1. Freedom

When you're far away from home, you get lots and lots of it. Not only can your parents not give you a curfew anymore, but there is no possible way for them know when you come home while being so distant. It’s strange at first, but once you get used to it, you almost forget what it’s like to get that “time to come home” phone call from Mom. Enjoy you’re freedom, but don’t go too crazy - or your parents might just unexpectedly show up at your door.

2. Scenery Change

Coming from the southeast, the midwest is quite the scenery change, and I have loved every moment of it. The concept of change has always been intriguing to me and has definitely helped me grow as an individual; I’ve always found it important to step out of your comfort zone as much as possible. Experiencing seasons has given me a fresh, clean start to my first year of college, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Plus, it’s more than refreshing to come home for the holidays to a change in climate - helloooo beaches and palm trees.

3. Family Visits

As if being reunited with your family isn’t good enough, try being a few states away from them for months at a time. When you’re out of state, family weekend is anticipated from the moment they drop you off during welcome week. The reunited-hugs and kisses are promised to last until your next trip home. While you may not have missed them as much as you thought you would, there’s nothing quite like being all together again in a place that you love.