Deciding where you are going to college is a big decision to make. It is not like any of those times you asked your parents which toy you could get, and they decided for you. It is a decision only you can make. While I was trying to decide which college to go to, I made myself a list of requirements for it. At the top of my list was that the college had to be within a day’s drive. Of course, when I made that list, I was not planning on leaving my home state. In the end, though, I am glad I did. To give you a better understanding of why here are five reasons why going to college out of your home state is the best.
1.) Independent
Being away from home, for the first time, is hard. It is supposed to be. If it was easy then everyone would do it. I remember the day my parents helped me move into my dorm. I did not plan on being as emotional as I was. When it was time for them to leave and head back home to California, my mother looked at me and wondered why I was crying so much. When I told her I was already homesick, she laughed at me. “I’m glad because if you weren’t then that means we didn’t raise you to leave the nest.” Since that moment, my perspective of college was one big seminar. That first year of college taught me a lot about myself: how I think when faced with a new situation, how I prioritize things on my to-do list, how I narrow down my options when it comes to making a decision. However, the biggest thing I learned that first year of college was the newfound confidence I had in the decisions that I made. That confidence laid the groundwork for what would become the biggest change of my life.
2.) Explore
When going to college and being on your own, there is a list of things that you cannot do, if you wish to survive your college days with a social life. At the top of that list is that you cannot, ABSOLUTELY CANNOT, be a turtle. Do not pull back and hide in your shell when someone asks you if you want to hang out or wonder if you wanted to tag along and go to Dave and Buster’s. The best thing to do is to look for things that excite you. In the beginning, it may be things that remind you of home, like a local bowling alley or sushi place. From there, you can expand your “comfort bubble” to see and interact with your environment in ways you never have before, hikes, jogs, diving into random mom and pop shops. There are countless opportunities awaiting you! Find the time to remove yourself from that safety bubble and savor the experience around you.
3.) Network Of Friends
A key part of sprouting from the nest is developing your own personal community. Creating your own intricate web of relationships to help support and kindle your newfound independence. You begin to create a family to develop all sorts of memories that will last with you forever.
Since going to Grand Canyon University, I have met so many people from around the world. People, who I am convinced, I would have never met if it wasn’t for attending an out-of-state school. Not only did we create memories that will surely last for a lifetime, but we also helped each other become our own person. The community, the network of friends I created, helped shape me into the person I am today.
4.) Home Sweet Home
You will come to realize that when being away from home you will miss certain things. Little things, like seeing Dad walk through the door after having a long day at work, or hearing Mom’s heels in the hallway during her morning routine rush. You will learn to miss the nights where everyone hung out with one another, whether it was a movie you all watched or a night out for dinner. Home is supposed to be missed. The good thing about missing home, when you are out of the state, is that you will always go back to it for breaks: summer, winter, and maybe even for spring. Those memories give you a springboard into developing brand-new experiences.
While I was away for college, being away from home made me appreciate those little moments more than I normally did, before. So, whenever I came home for Christmas break, I made sure to cherish every home-cooked meal and moment.
The anchor of my home actually pushed me to pursue that same feeling elsewhere. Even though I missed all my friends and family dearly, I developed a love of seeking out those same expressions of love wherever I went.
Creating a place where your heart can permanently reside is best defined as a home. The thing is, you don’t realize you are creating one until it is almost time to graduate.
Some students define home as a welcoming place of peace and security that provides necessary resources for its sustained existence. You have already done this. While being away at college and living on your own, you have created a welcoming area that is peaceful and secure. It gives the necessary resources for experiencing a happy life: laughing with friends until your sides hurt, eating dinner with good company until you are overly stuffed, and best of all, creating memories that will last a lifetime. A home is not simply where you came from or where you go, at the end of the day. It is where your heart permanently resides.
What was your first year of college like? What are some life lessons that college has taught you? What experiences have you had since attending college? Leave your comments below.
