Going away to college is kind of a big deal and even a little scary. You're going away from home for the first time and starting a new life on your own. Being in college means it's time to put your big boy/girl pants on and "act" like an adult. When deciding where to go to college there are usually two types of people in the world: the ones who refuse to go far away from home and the ones who refuse to stay anywhere close to home. I was the type of person who, at first, wanted to go to school on the other side of the country from where I lived, fortunately I decided against that. I ended up going to a school only 45 minutes away from home, and today I wouldn't have it any other way. Here are some reasons why going to school close to home is the go to move.

1. You can have all the home cooked meals you desire

No matter how good (or not so good) your cafeteria food is at school, you can't deny how good home cooked meals sound. As good as microwaveable mac and cheese, bagel bites and cereal are...they get old real fast. And when mom calls you up asking to come home on the weekend for dinner you can't turn down. Plus you can take back all of the leftovers you want... and who doesn't love leftovers? And let's be honest, its real exciting when your mom tells you she made your favorite dish for dinner.

2. Having your own personal nurse when you're sick

Everyone gets sick in college, it's inevitable. All the microwaveable food and all of the green foods your NOT eating kills your immune system. Plus living on a floor with 30+ people means the cold, stomach bug and the flu will spread like the plague and there's no way of dodging it, trust me. But no worries as soon as you mention to your parents your sick they'll insist for you to come home so they can beckon to your every need. And after a weekend of your bed and a little care-taking you'll be back in a jiffy.

3. It's nice to have an escape after a crazy week of chaos

Surprise, college is hard work sometimes (most of the time). Crazy as in four exams, two papers, one presentation and a lot, A LOT of stress packed into one week. And after that long week, nothing sounds better than your bed and some quality pet cuddling time to calm down with. It's nice to have a couple days to recharge and regain back your sanity to do it all over again.

4. Even if you are a home-body, you rarely get homesick

If you go to school closer to home you rarely ever feel homesick because you subconsciously know you can go home whenever you want. But it is okay to go home sometimes and admit you need some TLC (everyone needs a little TLC every once in a while). Whenever you tell people you're going home and they act like they're too cool to go home you're all like:

5. It's A LOT less expensive and you save money

Think about it...going to school close to home means you save so much time and money on traveling. If you go to school across the country you probably drop hella money coming home for breaks and holidays. Plus in state tuition is a lot cheaper than out of state tuition and that's always a bonus.

6. You're at home friends can visit all the time

If your school is just a car ride away your friends will want to visit all the time. One of the biggest perks of going to school close to home is having friends, that get you better than anyone else, come and visit. Plus you guys always have way to much fun when you're all together. Also you know its always gonna be a good night when your home friends and school friends combine to create one giant squad.

7. It's nice to hug your mom and dad every once in a while

Being an adult and being out on your own can be hard sometimes and those are the times that moms/dads hugs are the best. And trust me if you want some hugs, your parents will be more than happy to hug you as many as you want.

8. You truly do have the best of both worlds

It's nice to have a life of your own and be independent but sometimes its also really nice to know your parents and home are just a car ride away. It kind of rocks to have those weeks where you're super busy being an adult (or not so much) then be able to go home for a weekend and have good meals, your laundry done and be able to sleep in your own bed. Seems pretty awesome to me.

Regardless if you go to school across the country or five minutes away, going away to school really makes you appreciate home, your pets and most importantly your parents and all they do for you.