Being away from home isn't always easy. There are traditions in your hometown, or even at home, that you have to miss due to being too far from home. Although it's hard sometimes because you miss your friends and family, being away from home is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

1. You get to express yourself a lot more.

It's hard to be who you want to be in high school without feeling constant judgement. The great thing about college is that no one really cares how you look because everyone is so different. If you were closer to home, you'd be more likely to attend the same school as someone you went to high school with, and they may judge you more than other people would.

2. You can be your own person.

What I mean by this is, you won't have someone at college telling people you barely know stories about you. When you're far from home, you can choose what you want to tell people about yourself and what you want to keep a secret.

3. You make more friends.

Everything in life is what you make of it, obviously. But going to a school where you don't know a single person allows you to branch out a little more so that you're less likely to be home sick. You won't go home every weekend, keep the same friend group, or be more likely to be attached at the hip with your significant other.

4. You get to experience more.

By being far away from home, you realize that there's more to life than where you grew up.

5. You become more independent.

When you move far away from home, you don't have your mom or dad around telling you what to do and where not to go. You learn how to live on your own, how to do your own laundry, make your own food, etc. because mom isn't here to do everything for you.

6. You get to appreciate where you grew up a little bit more.

I am someone who really doesn't like the town I grew up in (mostly because there's nothing to do), but when I come home I like how small everything is. Being home brings back fond memories from growing up.

7. You're not caught up in high school drama.

I know so many people who stayed close to home who are still involved with high school drama, whether it be who is dating who or who is fighting with who. This is stuff I have never cared about in the first place, and especially don't care about now. I am not saying anything bad about people who stayed close to home, but moving far from home has made me really glad to be out of that high school nonsense.

Although there are many more perks to moving far from home, these are some of my favorites. Moving away was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Yes, it definitely can be hard at times, and I still get a little homesick, but I will probably never move back home.