Here’s the thing: I love where I’m from, and I could have easily gone to a school close to me and loved it as much as I love my college. But there’s a beautiful thing that comes along with packing up everything you own into the hatchback of your parents car, driving twelve hours with them, and then have them leave you in a state you’ve maybe spent a total of six hours in before orientation starts your freshman year.
That beautiful thing is called confidence. Leaving home to develop confidence is terrifying. It's overwhelming. It feels like the end of the world every time you walk through the door and you don't see your dog. Sometimes, it feels like the worst decision you have ever made. But the overwhelming majority of the time, going to college far from home is a really wonderful thing. I would tell any graduating high school senior to have a six hour minimum distance between their dorm room and their front door, and here's why:
Bragging Rights
First of all, there’s nothing better than talking about your home to people who have never been there. It makes you appreciate where you came from, and appreciate all of the things you thought you hated before you left. You get to talk about all of the things you loved growing up to people who have no idea how mundane those things really are. Main Street in real life is overpriced general stores and art shops along a scenic highway. But Main Street how you describe it to your lab partner is "literally" the most beautiful place in America. But of course it's the most beautiful place in America, it's your home. Sharing bits and pieces of home with friends, strangers, and whoever will listen is like sharing pieces of yourself with them. It's like saying, "this is part of me, and I hope you love it as much as I do because nothing, in my mind, will ever be as great".
Home Away From Home
When your college is twelve hours from your house, chances are you're not going home more than three or four times a year. Because home itself isn't accessible, you need to find a way to make your college your home. To do this, you have to accept that where you are now is not where you grew up, and that is okay. You finally get to learn how other people outside of your state live their lives. For instance, if you're from Virginia you just know what NoVa is, but that was something I got to learn when I moved here. If someone had mentioned NoVa to me when I was in high school, I would have assumed they were talking about a radio station. Growing up in New England, and going to college in Virginia, I’ll be the first to say that it is very different from my home, and it did take a little getting used to. But even though I still get mocking remarks from my northern friends about going to school "in the south", I wouldn’t change my decision for the world. Going to school down here gave me real meaning to the phrase, “home away from home,” because I truly had to adapt, which in my opinion is invaluable.
This Is How You Grow Up
Perhaps the most bittersweet part of going to school away from home, besides spending 500 dollars on plane tickets three times a year, is leaving your family. It’s terrifying and overwhelming to begin with. No one cooks you dinner every night (sorry dining hall staff, but your corn chowder has got nothing on my grandma’s), and no one can really hug you the way mom hugs you. You’ll secretly hate it when people who live an hour, or even three hours away go home on weekends to the beds they grew up in, while you cuddle up on your twin xl mattress against the cinder block wall we all get as freshman. You might not realize the great part about this until you go home for the first time, but this is how you really do your growing up. Everyone notices how different you are except for yourself. It’s the hardest thing to explain, but it’s almost like the homesickness is the medicine you need to turn you into a grown up (who still eats Easy Mac for almost every meal). So all of the crying you do first, and even second semester of freshman year isn't in vain, I promise, you're becoming a better person.
