One of the first things people say as soon as they hear you are going to a college far away is “Wow you’re going to miss your family,” or, “Wouldn’t it be easier to just stay in state?” In general, as an accepted student to a college out of state, you’re going to hear a lot of this. This was certainly the case when I first made it public that I would be leaving my small town in Virginia and attending Kenyon. People couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t just stay in town and go to William and Mary, or go two hours away to UVA. While these are both amazing institutions, I wanted something smaller, yet still very academically rigorous.
I can understand the shock and people’s questions as to why why I chose to go to college in the middle of cornfields and the Amish country. In high school I was about as preppy as a southern girl could be, so yes I can see where my friends and family were coming from.
Truly what ultimately made me choose to leave the state that I had called home for 18 years was that I lusted for something new. I knew that there was more to the world then just my small town and that it was now or never. I will be the first to admit that change is scary. Human nature makes us weary of change, but at some point you have to follow your heart. I knew that if I didn’t leave Virginia, that I would regret it later on. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was say goodbye to everything I had ever known and move to Ohio.
When I first got to Kenyon, I felt like I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. Being dropped off in the middle of nowhere and knowing absolutely no one was terrifying. On top of that I had to live with a girl who I had never met. Eventually everything worked out, I got to know my roommate, who’s an amazing person, and I have an amazing group of friends. However, it wasn’t till the end of my first semester that I realized attending college far away is actually an amazing thing. For all of those who are nervous about possibly attending a school far away, I’ve broken down the benefits of moving far away from home.
1. You learn to be self-sufficient
When you are far away from home, mom and dad can’t come and intervene if you have a problem. If you’re homesick, you learn to cope and to depend on yourself. Believe me, it is amazing how strong you are when you really are put in the situation when you need to trust yourself. If I were to have gone to school at home, yes I would be able to solve problems such as homesickness, or maybe my mom would’ve been able to take care of me when I was sick this past semester. However, I would be missing one of the greatest lessons a young adult can learn, which is to be self-sufficient. Rising college first-years, believe me when I say to you that there is nothing weirder than being sick for the first time and your mom isn’t there to take care of you.
2. You mature faster
When you have to be more self-sufficient you are going to grow up faster. Honestly I am now starting to feel that I can actually be a functioning adult in society. I must say that I truly became an adult not this past summer when I turned 18, but after having to survive on my own in the cornfields of Ohio. After coming home on winter break, I could distinctly tell a difference between how quickly I had grown up compared to people from my town who were at state colleges. I could even tell older college students were much more reliant on their parents than I was because their parents visited them or they came home every few weekends. I make this statement not to put down these individuals but to show the effects of relying on oneself, knowing that a parent can’t intervene.
3. You learn to be resourceful
First semester I didn’t have a car and let me tell you, never in my life did I think I would be stressed out by having to find out how to get to a Jewish temple. Believe me when I say that you will figure out how to get somewhere if you really need it. If you’re lucky like I was, you may figure out that the girl who lives down the hall from you is bored and doesn’t mind going to temple in downtown Columbus with you on a Friday to do research for your religion paper.
4. Students have to rely on each other, and therefore they’re very close
Kenyon has students from all across the world. However, you aren’t alone—you have an entire campus who is in your shoes. Therefore, you build closer bonds and truly do life alongside people who eventually feel like family. I can promise that you will never be alone. Fellow students are happy to fill the void of your family.
5. You are forced to expand and make new friends
If you don’t know anyone, you have to make new friends. While many people may view not knowing a single person from high school at your college as a bad thing, really it just forces you to meet new people. Your first year in college is a time to find out who you really are and by surrounding yourself with people who are like-minded. However, I know that it’s a common thing from my town for people to stay in their high school cliques through college. I’m not suggesting that you have to abandon your friends from high school if you go to the same college, but why limit yourself to your comfort zone? Meet new people, learn about them, and truly make college a new experience. If you go to school far away, you’re guaranteed to make new friends.
6. You are able to see geographical diversity
Going to a college far away with students from multiple regions of the United States and the world rather than residents of your state allows for you to see geographical diversity first hand. My roommate’s from Arizona and she eats what I find to be the absolute weirdest foods. She eats an avocado straight, eats candy with chili powder on it, and drinks some fermented tea called komboucha. Over time, Emma has gotten me used to komboucha, but it’s an acquired taste I must say. While noticing differences in other people’s cultures you also learn about what’s peculiar in yours. Apparently having everything monogrammed, having a towel body wrap, and drinking sweet tea is weird to others, although I still frequently insist is perfectly normal.If there’s anything that rising college first-years can get out of this article, it’s that you shouldn’t be afraid to break out of the norms of your town. People may be surprised at first when you tell them you’re moving to a different region of the United States, but those same people will later on send you care packages. Everyone who loves you wants you to succeed, be happy, and find fulfillment in life, even if that means being far away. Yes, your family, friends, significant other, and neighbors will miss you. But if they truly love you, they will be waiting back home with open arms.
Image Credit: Margo Minor