As anyone who has ever graduated from high school knows, a great majority of your time spent as an upperclassman is focused around the built up, incredibly exciting, and sometimes anxiety filled word: college. For most high school seniors (and their overbearing, over involved parents), deciding where to attend college is the end all be all of, well, life. When entering this territory, an extreme amount of attention is placed on the specifics of what exactly a student should be looking for in a college. Usually these credentials include the academic level of the school, one’s legacy or loyalty to a specific college, athletic strength, or specific programs. While I know it would be silly for me to sit here and deny the importance of all of these aspects, choosing a college for me personally was far different from the typical experience and honestly, quite simple. When looking for a college there was only one thing I knew for certain: get me out of state and get me out fast. Don’t get me wrong, I love where I’m from, but the thought of spending 4 years of college reliving the past 4 years of high school sounded, for lack of a better word, horrible. My college applications spanned all over the country from Texas, to Florida, to New York City, but in the end my most unlikely candidate ended up being where I now call home. My eventual decision to attend Indiana University has ended up being the greatest life decision I have made thus far. Leading up to my grand departure, the same questions were fired at me over and over again – “Are you nervous?”, “Do you know anyone else who goes there?” , and my personal favorite “How will you be able to come home?” (Uh, I’m crossing state borders people not international waters). But to be perfectly honest with you, my confidence was too high considering none of these questions fazed me even a little bit. Given my confidence and self proclaimed independence, I kept telling myself I’d be fine and that everything would be just like home. Despite the fact that I absolutely love where I am and now feel comfortable and content, I probably should’ve entertained these questions more than I did. In actuality, the first 2 weeks of college slapped me in the face…hard. While I will continue to encourage others to follow in my footsteps, there are definitely things to be prepared for when attending an out of state college.

1. Your friends from home aren’t there with you, so be prepared and open minded to making lots and lots and lots of new friends. The idea of “starting over” can be scary. Going to an out of state college, or even just college in general, will expose you to all types of people you might not be used to. These people will be of different cultures, races, demographics, religions, and so much more – take advantage of this. Take every opportunity you can to open yourself up to new kinds of people. Don’t hurry to make as many friends as you can or even stick to people similar to your high school squad; the general rule of quality over quantity absolutely applies in this situation.
2. You’re meeting multitudes of new people and being introduced to new faces daily, it’s okay to not like all of them. With the initial arrival to college also comes the prior departure from your high school crew, the people who you chose to spend a majority of high school and your last days at home with. Remember, you had 4 years to sift through the friend groups at your high school before finding your people. Attendance at an out of state college will challenge you with people who you know will not be your best friend, or honestly even acquaintance by the end of your 4 years. Part of discovering yourself is being able to recognize what qualities in people you’re not fond of, as this helps shape us into the kind of people we will become. It’s okay to realize your difference from people, but always remember to be kind, you may end up working in the same field as them one day or being assigned partners for a project in class. Always remember that with the making of a mortal enemy, your already challenging new life will become increasingly harder, I promise.
3. Your previous high school reputation will vanish – embrace this. Some people view this as a blessing while others will view it as a curse. I guess people who are cursed by this are those hoping their high school glory days and popularity will carry over into college (and it’s likely that those people won’t venture far from home). But for those of us who do venture off, take this as an opportunity to become the best version of yourself. Do things that you were too afraid to do in high school out of fear of judgement and expand your horizons beyond the social norms of your high school. There are literally zero social “rules” in college, you are allowed to be as unique, out there, or even weird as you want and will always find people with compatible interests.
4. It’s okay to spend more time alone than you might be used to. In my case, I spent every waking moment leading up to my final day at home surrounded by my closest friends and family. After arriving to college, I realized I was uncomfortable with the amount of time I was spending alone. Given that my roommate and I had completely different schedules and class at opposite times, I was waking up completely alone, walking to class alone, eating meals alone, and I even dreaded going to class out of the simple fact that I legitimately knew NO ONE. Getting to know yourself on a much more personal level can be intimidating, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. I feel as though this aspect of college has allowed me to grow the most, giving me a sense of calmness and the ability to take time and be alone with my thoughts. Trust me, with all of the new adjustments occurring in your life you will need this. Apart from that, knowing no one in your classes opens you up to more opportunities to branch out to new people outside your dorm or new friend group. Keep in mind that a majority of people are probably feeling the same way you are and are most likely looking to make a familiar face too.
5. You are living in a different part of the country – things that WILL be different: weather, water, food, and people. Because I was staying in the Midwest, I figured the weather would be the same as Michigan – WRONG. On a daily basis it’s at least 10 degrees hotter. Be prepared to change your wardrobe, you don’t want to be like the kid in my global studies class who walks in wearing a Canada Goose when it’s literally 75 degrees outside. In the same way, be open to food and water adjustments, as your body will probably react differently (still unsure how Indiana residents maintain flawless skin with the highly questionable water that loves to breakout my skin). I can also assure you that your favorite restaurants will still be the same when you go home, and the absence of them will make your reunion with the food even better. As for the people, while I cannot speak for other states, the Midwestern hospitality in Indiana is one of my favorite aspects of living here. Not only does it make college feel even more like my home, it reminds me that what you put out into the world is what you should expect to get back – an eye for an eye type of deal.

In conclusion, I could not be more confident that being at an out of state college is exactly where I’m meant to be. If you are as lucky as I am and have the privilege to venture beyond your state borders, make sure you thank your parents because at the expense of your happiness is the burden on their wallets. Remember to be open to the likelihood of challenges and to embrace the unknown; I guarantee that if you do, your decision to stray from the crowd will benefit you so much more than you could ever anticipate.