Those of you who know me personally know that I have lived in Potsdam for 20 years now. This town has changed a lot through the years, but one of the biggest things to have changed is my perception of the community. It’s not that I disliked Potsdam, but I never really felt at home here until I chose to go to college locally. SUNY Potsdam made me love my hometown and is by far one of the greatest decisions I have ever made. The people I’ve met have become some of the most important people in my life, and the opportunities that have been presented to me are invaluable. To all of the high schoolers at Potsdam, as well as the surrounding school districts, I could not recommend SUNY Potsdam, or any of other the amazing local colleges enough. Though everyone’s experiences with school are different, there are some universal pros and cons to staying local.

Pro: You will almost always run into someone you know.

It’s totally easy to feel lonely in a new environment, so friendly faces help. If I’m going to Walmart, or if I’m getting pizza with my friends, I’m sure to run into someone I know, and I absolutely love that about Potsdam. Whether it’s an old teacher or a family friend, it’s always nice to see a friendly, familiar face. It’s a good reminder of where you came from, and that you have a solid community that you know, and can rely on in times of uncertainty and trouble.

Con: You will almost always run into someone you know.

Sometimes, there are people from your past that you just don’t want to see. College is meant to be a fresh start; it’s the time to become the person you’ve always wanted to be, and it can be hard to change into the person you’d like to become when there are people around who have known you for years, or at least people who think they know who you are. Like, if your high school experience sucked (and it seems like most people’s kind of do), it can be hard at times to escape the past you’d like to leave behind by staying local. Like, maybe you don’t want to be called Big Red anymore, and like, if people remember the time(s) you fell up the stairs, like every day, it may be hard to shake off that klutzy persona and try to become the smooth person you’ve always been deep, deep, down. No way, I’m not klutzy...that was totally, sort of, an example...moving on...

Pro: If you’re feeling super stressed, your family/home/cat is right there.

The sophomore slump is real, and it is totally thriving. I can’t count how many times I almost walked home this year on account of how done with college I was. It is awesome to have a support system so close by, and by support system, I totally mean my cat. All kidding aside, and though it may sound completely weird, it is actually really nice to have family nearby; it’s so helpful to have a group of people you can trust and rely on when the going gets tough, just a few blocks away. Plus, getting a home-cooked meal doesn’t hurt either.

Con: Your family/home/cat is right there.

I think that my family is way cooler than me; I totally need them more than they need me (I’m only halfway kidding). Our roles are weirdly reversed, I’m suddenly the overbearing one, and my family is exasperated when I call them two times in one day (I seriously don’t know how they put up with my constant phone calls this past year). Depending on how strong of a person you are (I am the consistency of a jelly-filled donut, literally and metaphorically), it may be hard to separate yourself from your family and try to face your problems head on. It might be hard to gain independence when your family is so close by, and if you’re always going from class to home it may be difficult to form solid relationships with people on campus, like your roommates or friends from classes.

Pro: You know the place like the back of your hand.

You know where the best pizza in town is, and what intersections to avoid during rush hour. You know every shortcut there is, and where the best places to go are. Although your town can be boring sometimes, you have your own methods to beat the boredom, and those definitely come in handy on those Friday nights when everyone is stumped on what to do.

Con: You may worry that you’re not getting out of your comfort zone.

Since you do know the town so well, you may wonder if you had made a mistake by not going away to college. Staying local may not seem like a huge step or a difficult transition, but it totally is, which leads me to my next point that:

Pro/Con: Campus is a whole other world.

When I’m at school, it doesn’t feel like I’m in Potsdam. When I’m on campus, it literally feels as though my house is forever away, when in actuality, it’s a ten-minute walk. My first year was (mostly) easy, not because I was home, but because I had met an amazing roommate through the “Class of 2018” Facebook page. I had high school friends on campus who introduced me to some of my best friends in the world. I had an amazing job on-campus working with a fantastic group of people (shout out to my Campus Life fam), who helped me with the transition to school. It didn’t matter that I practically grew up on campus because I had no clue where Kellas Hall was until my third week of classes. It’s a pro that campus is a whole other world because it’s important to get out of your comfort zone; everything amazing happens outside of it, you know. Yet it’s a con because it can be an awkward, or difficult transition from high school to college, and you’re going to get that no matter where you go. Bottom line is, if it weren’t for the help of my fabulous co-workers, and for basically hitting the friend lottery, I would not have transitioned as well as I did.

Pro: You have more connections.

Since you grew up in the town you’re going to college, you’re bound to know people on campus; for instance, a lot of the faculty and staff I know are the parents of my high school friends, or people I have met by working at my parents’ business throughout high school. Not only does knowing people help you feel more at home on campus, but it can lead to potential jobs, internships, and other opportunities down the road.

Pro: It’s considerably cheaper to stay local than to go away to college.

College is still expensive as all hell, but compared to the costs of leaving home, it definitely is cheaper to stay local. It doesn’t hurt if you have a scholarship or work-study on top of it either, that’ll just mean less loans, and more cash flow doe.

Pro: All your high school friends come to you.

It doesn’t matter if your breaks from school line up with your friends because you’re home anyways!

Pro: Moving to and from school is an absolute breeze.

This is definitely one of my favorite perks of sticking around the Dirty Dam. You can as many trips to and from school as you want, and if you forget something, it’s no big deal, you can just run home and get it.

Pro: You can smile and wave at all the people who mocked you for staying local when they’ve all transferred back home the spring semester.

Something people at my high school didn’t seem to understand (myself included), was that there’s nothing wrong with staying close to home for school. My dad taught me that “it’s not where you go, but what you do that matters.” I’ve never utilized a piece of advice more. Whether you go to school far away, or whether you can literally see your college from your house (no comment), amazing opportunities will present themselves, and you can have those opportunities to do amazing things! It doesn’t matter if you commute or live on campus if you’re 3,000 miles from home or two; college is all in what you make of it. The standard “college experience” doesn’t exist. Everyone’s experiences are unique, which is a beautiful part of life. No matter where you go, the opportunity to get involved will always be there.