When it was time for me to go to college and I had to make a decision on where I wanted to go. I was clueless. I chose to go to a local school and live at home to save money. I always dreamt about going to a big, fancy school but that was never an option for me because I was a home body and would get too home sick. I had always had the luxury of my parents doing everything for me. I guess some would call me a princess.

After my junior year of college I decided that I wanted to move on campus, regardless if the school was only 15 minutes away from my house. I wanted to experiences all the things that my friends were getting to enjoy, I wanted to be able to have a “normal” college experience. I had always lived at home and under the wings of my parents and I decided that it was finally time for me to spread my wings and try to be on my own. So, for my senior year of college I roomed in a single suite that had a connecting bathroom with my best friend. I could not have dreamed of a better set up.

At first, I was nervous. As much as I said I wanted to be out on my own I still was unsure. It was like I was a scared little freshman instead of a confident senior. But, after the first few weeks I got used to it and boy did I love it. It was even better because I had connecting rooms with my best friend. I was always around all my friends and teammates. I could come and go as I pleased at any time I wanted. I did not have anyone to answer to about where I was going and who I was hanging out with. I could wake up 10 minutes before class started and still make it on time. There was constantly something to do and I was always busy. Living on campus was definitely one of the best experiences of my life, even though I decided to do it so late in my college career.

But my senior year has come and gone and now I am graduated. I am returning to the same school in the fall to get my master’s degree but have decided not to live on campus to try and save some money.

So after a whole year of freedom, I am back at home.

Even though living on campus was amazing, it did teach me to appreciate some things my parents had done for me over the years. It made me appreciate my laundry always being done. I would tend to leave piles of laundry in the corner of my dorm room and ignore doing it until the very last second. It made me appreciate there always being healthy snacks to eat and healthy meals instead of trying to figure out what mystery meat I was going to get from the cafe. It made me appreciate living in a clean space. I rarely ever cleaned my dorm room and ignored the layers of dust that had built up on every imaginable surface.

Living on my own taught me to appreciate the things I used to take for granted as well as it helped me figure out who I truly was. I am definitely going to miss living on campus this upcoming year but, it was a learning experience I am grateful I had the chance to have.