College is the best time of your life, and anyone who tells you differently is just at the wrong school. I'm sorry, but it's true. Here’s some advice I wish I had been given when I was deciding where to go:

1. Don’t be afraid to leave home.

Yes, the thought of leaving the place you’ve lived for the past 18 years may be terrifying, but it’s also so exciting. You gain independence by not being able to go home every weekend and having your mom do things for you. You meet a different crowd of people than you grew up with and, consequently, learn more about other cultures/races/religions etc. You can gain a new perspective by leaving behind everything you thought you knew about the world and actually immersing yourself in something completely new.

2. Go after what you want.

If there are only three schools in the country that offer the program you want to go into, go to one of them. Don’t give up on your dream because your options are limited. If you want to join a certain club/fraternity/sorority at school, do it. That’s how you meet like-minded people. That’s how you make lifelong friends.

3. Don’t base your decision solely on money.

So you got your financial aid package back, and your dream school is going to cost more than you expected. But you’ve wanted to go there as long as you can remember. It has your desired major, a beautiful campus and you’ve pictured yourself cheering at the basketball games more times than you’d like to admit. If it’s really something you want, make it work. You are going to have to pay for college regardless, why not pay for four years you’re actually going to enjoy?
*Disclaimer* I said, SOLELY, obviously it is going to be a factor.

4. DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR DREAMS TO CHASE A SIGNIFICANT OTHER.

I cannot reiterate this one enough. I have seen too many cases of a girlfriend/boyfriend going away for college and then deciding, after one semester, that they need to be closer to their significant other. So, they leave everything they worked for behind, move back to be with them and then they end up breaking up and are forever miserable, or, even worse, they pick a college right from the beginning so they can go with their significant other. If someone truly loves you that much, they will insist that you go and chase after what you want. Anyone who makes you put him/her in front of your aspirations is selfish and undeserving. If the relationship is meant to work, it will work no matter the distance.

5. Your friends at home will always be there.

It’s terrifying to think about leaving the group of friends you’ve had since high school started. They’re the best people you know, and the thought of not seeing them for months at a time is enough to make anyone second guess leaving them. Don’t. If your friendship is that strong, they will still be there. The group message will keep going strong. They will still know every detail of your life and pretend they know the people you’re always talking about. And when those breaks come and you finally get to see them, it will be as if nothing has changed. You will not lose the important people in your life because of going away for school.

6. College is FUN.

People love to complain about how much work there is at college and how no one should ever wish away high school because the workload is so easy compared to now. I agree that you should never wish away time (hey, high school was really fun too), but college is great. You get to live with your best friends, if you’re bored you walk across the hall, open your friend’s door and just lay on their bed and hang out. There’s never not something to do. There will always be someone who is down to make that 1 a.m. pizza run or that awkward not-yet-lunch-but-not-yet-dinner Chipotle run. Yeah, school is meant to be difficult, but that’s why we have the weekends.

But remember, no matter where you end up, college will be as good (or as bad) as you make it.