One of the most important decisions in the college process is location, location, location. Not simply whether you want to be in a city or in a more rural area, but mainly how far or how close you want to be to home. Some students are more than ready to pack up their bags and fly across the country as soon as they get out of high school. Then there are others who choose a school that’s a comfortable driving distance from the one place they know and love most. And that is nothing to be ashamed of.

Here’s why staying close to home is the best decision I've made:

1. I always have the option to go home. The most obvious reason is all about the home life. If I’ve had a rough week or I don’t want to miss a family event, I can take the one hour car ride home and not miss a beat. It’s nice to have that comfort in the back of my mind in case things aren’t going too well at school.

2. The majority of my college friends live close by. Choosing to go to an in-state school means that the majority of the people who I have met live in the same state. This makes life so much easier when I’m starting to miss my college friends over the summer or winter breaks. I only have to drive a little over an hour away to reunite with them.

3. The state pride is real. Even though New Jersey is famously separated between North, South, and Central (because yes, Central Jersey is a thing), everyone loves the state we live in. Whether you call it pork roll or Taylor Ham or are a Jets or Giants fan, we all love to be from Jersey.

4. Family and friends can easily visit me. If I can’t make a whole weekend trip home, my parents or other family members can easily come to me for the day. And being about 20 minutes from Princeton is a big plus. It’s become a family tradition to go into Princeton to celebrate birthdays or if we just want to see each other.

5. I don’t have to worry if I forget something at home. I won’t name names, but one of my friends who only lives 15 minutes away from school, just happened to forget all of her clothes when she came back to school after winter break. Thankfully, it wasn’t a big deal for her dad to drive back.

6. Appointments are easy to make. It’s easy to forget to make appointments for the doctor or dentist when I’m away at school, simply because I think I don’t have the time. In reality, I’m just making an excuse to avoid getting that long overdue flu shot. It’s very easy for me to get to appointments, and I can make a weekend trip out of them.

7. Sometimes my laundry can be a little overwhelming. When I get a little lazy or am afraid of shrinking my favorite shirt, I use that as a sign that I should take a trip home. And don't act like you don't do this, because really we all do.

So say what you want, but staying in-state was the best option for me. And I can bet you that the rest of TCNJ would agree with me.