My junior year of high school I wanted to go to school as far away from home as possible. I wanted to get out of Fayetteville and explore. I had a good experience living here, but I dreamed of moving away to the big city for college and maybe eventually come back to Northwest Arkansas when I was ready to “settle down.” I ended up choosing the University of Arkansas because it felt like the safe bet. Most of my friends were attending and I could guarantee that I would not be one of those freshmen who knows no one and has zero friends.

My biggest concern was that my college experience would be like high school all over again. My high school is literally right next door to the U of A. We even had our graduation at Bud Walton Arena. I thought I would have the same friends, have the same life, and not change at all. I was wrong. I owe a lot of this to joining a sorority, as well as living in a very social dorm.

I met so many new people the first week or two that I started school, that I found myself spending more time with them than the friends I had from high school. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to hang out with my high school friends, we just weren’t involved in the same thing, and the enrollment from high school to college multiplied at least ten times, so we never saw each other or had even remotely similar classes.

I have come to realize that Fayetteville feels like a completely different city now that I am at the U of A. I find myself going on more adventures and exploring places I’ve never been in the 13 years I’d lived in Fayetteville prior to attending college.

I originally wanted to be independent from my parents and move away, but I find myself going home more often than I thought I would for family dinners, TV night, and just hanging out. It’s a good mental break from the homework and stress of classes. Going home once a week or so let’s me relax and take comfort that my parents are never far away if I need them.

Finally, Fayetteville is such a great town. It was voted the third best place to live in the United States and I can see why. It has everything. Small town and big city feel with quirks and hidden gems galore. No wonder all of my non-local friends love coming back after break. Fayetteville has been two different homes for me and I can’t imagine not living here.