College applications can be a long and daunting process and deciding which colleges to apply to is even scarier. But the scariest part of the whole thing is deciding how far to venture from your hometown. Sometimes you just want to hide from the whole process and not even think about it.
You’re told college is your time to move on from your hometown and become yourself, which is true, but to find yourself, moving across the country isn’t always necessary. When I made this decision I was was completely unsure of where I wanted to go, but ended up going to school an hour away from home. It was the best choice I’ve ever made and I’m so happy I found my home away from home closer than I thought. Of course going to a school close to home has a few downfalls, like a lot of people from your high school may go there, but it definitely has many more advantages.
When you’re only a short hour drive from home you have a way easier time getting home than some of your other friends. Going home for a weekend is definitely much needed to clear your mind. After a stressful week, instead of going out you might just want to spend the weekend with your mom and go shopping. Being able to do the things your familiar with, even though your life is nothing but familiar is sometimes all you need relax and ground yourself.
If you can’t make it home, it’s also easier for people to come see you. Friends can easily make the short drive to visit you for a weekend to relive your high school days. FaceTime can only do so much, being able to see your friends and make new memories is priceless. Parents can also easily come down for parent’s weekend, football games or your birthday.
On a boring weekend at school you can take your college friends to your hometown. Being able to show your friends around the place that means so much to you is a really fun experience. If your home town happens to be a big city, that’s especially exciting. School can get boring and repetitive, so a change of scenery and new activities can be very refreshing.
Even if you thought you definitely wanted to go to school far away, and couldn’t even fathom the idea of staying close to home, don’t completely cross the short commute off your list of options.