Trying to decide what college to go to is S T R E S S F U L. You have to factor in whether or not you’re ready to be far from home, if somewhere offers your ideal major, if you would feel safe on campus, and if you would be genuinely happy spending the best years of your life there. Luckily for me, I took one look at Georgia Southern and knew the beautiful campus was meant to be my home. I can’t imagine where I would be or what I would be doing if I never came to Georgia Southern.. but I can definitely tell you what I would have missed out on.

1. I would have never known how FANTASTIC El Som is, and that it’s possible to have three of them within a 15-mile radius.

2. I would have never gotten to see grown men make a slip and slide with couches from the mud in the middle of Hurricane Matthew.

3. I would never have known that Burkhalter stays lit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year.

4. I would never have felt the rush of screaming “One More Time!” in a stadium with 2,000+ of my best friends.

5. I would never know what it means to see Freedom’s Flight.

6. I would never get to see our president cut watermelon on a hot summer’s day.

7. I would never get to be in public and hear someone yell “Whose House?!” and get to yell “Our House!!” right back.

8. I would never get to see the beautiful holiday lighting of Sweetheart Circle.

9. I wouldn’t know what it’s like to recruit people at the rotunda for your favorite organization.

10. I wouldn’t know what it’s like to be sitting in Russell Union and witnessing a flash mob take place.

11. I wouldn’t know what it’s like to make your own pasta in Landrum.

12. I wouldn’t know what it’s like to go rock climbing in the RAC.

13. I wouldn’t know what it’s like to pull an all-nighter in Club Hendy during finals with my favorite friends.

14. I wouldn’t know that it was really easy to take a Saturday trip to Tybee with your pals for some stress relief.

15. I wouldn’t know what it’s like to walk down River Street on a Friday night to celebrate your friend’s birthday.

16. I wouldn’t know that it was so easy to fall in love with a lifestyle that I never thought I would get the chance to experience.

I have no idea where I am meant to end up in this life, but one thing I know for sure is that GSU is my home, my heart, and my destiny for now. I am so thankful for every experience, lesson, and memory that I have and am still gaining here. If I never came to Georgia Southern, I know I wouldn’t be half the person I am today, and I know I wouldn’t be the True Blue fan that I will always be.