This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Clemson chapter.
The Struggles of Being an out of state College Student
While everyone loves a new experience, leaving your home state for college can be
difficult! Especially coming back to school after a relaxing Winter Break filled with
home cooked meals, family, friends, and did I mention home cooked meals? I am from
Maryland, and while I love Clemson, there are definitely things I miss about home. I
know every out of state student can speak to this. Here are some examples of the
struggles out-of-staters experience:
1. Home state pride
At home, everyone flies their Maryland flags. It hangs in windows, front lawns,
socks, shirts, and it’s on stickers on the back of cars. If I’m walking around
campus and I see someone wearing Maryland gear, it’s like this mini freak out
attack, I want to hug them and yell “ME TOO” but because that would be totally
creepy, so I don’t. Nobody understands the importance of home state pride until
they’re no longer in their home state!
2. Native Cuisine
Whether it’s those New Jersey Bagels and Pizza, Ohio Buckeye Balls,
Massachusetts Chowder, Georgia Peaches, or Maryland steamed crabs, everyone
has their native cuisine that they miss when they go to school. Winter Break
becomes a contest- let’s see how much of my home foods I can stuff my face with
and still make it back to school wearing the same size jeans! After all, gotta load
up on enough to last a couple months!
3. Family
Most people that travel far away for college are ready to “leave everything
behind” and look for a change, but almost all of them realize quickly they will
actually miss what they left behind. The prime example of this is our family. I
looked back at my call log, and realized the week I came back from Winter Break
I talked to my parents at least once every day. I think sometimes we forget how
much we need them, whether your mom is your best friend, you’re a Daddy’s
Girl, or you have siblings that you banter with endlessly. The Clemson family is
one of my favorite things about school, but nothing beats the family I have at
home.
4. Tuition
Just saying the word tuition makes me cringe. The first time I looked at my bill I
had to look again, and I wondered, “Did they throw in a couple extra zeroes?” Out
of state tuition is no easy price, but here in God’s country we get our moneys
worth of our education.
5. Pets
I cannot stress enough how blessed my in-state friends are to be able to see their
pets on the weekend. Whether your pet is slimy, scaly, furry, or some other odd
texture, nobody can love the way they can. If I didn’t think that I would get
caught, my dog would live in my dorm with me, no doubt about it.
6. Getting a Ride Home
While many people have their parents come pick them up, or drive their own car
home, many out-of-staters do not have that luxury. There is no way my parents
are driving 10 hours to come pick me up, and then 10 hours home. I drive a little
2007 Hyundai Accent, and it wouldn’t survive the long drive on I-85. This leaves
me to empty my wallet for a plane ticket and fight to the death on Ride Post to get
into a shuttle to the airport, or offer a stranger some cookies and gas money to
take me along with them towards home. Nobody will understand the stress of not
being sure how you’re getting home until a couple days before break quite like us
out-of-staters.
No matter if you’re from close or far, we all miss home sometimes.
Whether you’re missing your food, your dog, or your mom, the Clemson family will help
make up for it. It doesn’t matter if you’ve just transferred to Clemson or have been here for awhile,
this campus is full of friendly faces and it’s never too late to try something new!