I love being an out of state college student. That was one of the major things I wanted when I was looking for a school. Being an out of state student is nice. You meet people who have no idea how crappy or amazing your hometown is. Heck, they probably haven't even heard of your hometown.

At the same time, being an out of state student is the hardest thing ever. The hardest thing is not being able to see your family members. For instance, at my school, almost everyone who lives less than 5 hours away goes home on the weekend, leaving us out of state kids stranded and bored out of our minds.

For the first month it was nice; I liked having the room to myself every weekend. It was nice to have me time. Over time, however, it started to become a reality that I wouldn't be seeing my family for another three months. I watched as my friends' families came to visit on Family Weekend and it was hard to not have my family there.

However, there is a good thing! My roommates' families are starting to become my second family. When they come visit they give me a hug too. They let me know that they are there. They ask me if I need anything. It is so nice to have those people in my life.

Another thing that stinks is that if I want to go home, I have to be prepared to drop a whopping 400 bucks on a plane home. I, obviously, knew that that was going to be the case going to a school so far away, but it didn't really resonate until I wanted to go home for Thanksgiving this year. I really wanted to surprise my parents. SO BADLY. I thought that would be the best surprise if I just showed up at the airport, called them and said, "hey can you come to the airport?" HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE?! So, I looked up flights and then I looked at the price and it took all of my poor 18 year old college strength to lift my jaw off of the floor. $400 DOLLARS. ARE YOU SERIOUS?! WOAH. Needless to say, I did not book a flight. Luckily I have some amazing friends who have offered to let me stay with them during Thanksgiving break.

I personally think the coolest thing about being an out of state student is the different culture, recreation activities, and restaurants. I love how laid back the south is. No one is in a rush. People down here enjoy life living it, not trying to make it speed up. Along the same lines, THEY HAVE FUN. PEOPLE DOWN HERE PRIORITIZE HAVING FUN. **side note** I am not putting all people from the south in the same category, I am just saying the southern people I have met have this attitude and lifestyle. The restaurants down here are awesome. Waffle House has become my home away from home; I practically eat there twice a week. Even though I'm poorer than anything, somehow I scrounge up $3.25 to buy myself a waffle. Another great thing..get ready, it's about to blow your mind..a milkshake machine!

This little machine has changed my life dramatically. You take a cup from the right side (whatever milkshake flavor you want) and put it in the metal cup, press the button for the thickness of your shake and press ok..then BAM, an amazing milkshake.

That is exactly why I wanted to be an out of state student. I love learning and experiencing new cultures. It's tough to live 14 hours away, I won't lie. But I've learned to value my friendships, and my friends families. And I've learned about different things that I wouldn't have learned about if I lived so close.