It was my choice to go to a school where I knew next to no one else attending. I was so excited to leave home and go out into the big world of San Diego where the possibilities of what next were limitless! In the past two years, I have learned a lot more about what it really means to be an out of state student, and here are a few of the biggest ones.
1. There is no right or wrong answer for the number of times you call home.
I thought I was going to be that person that had to schedule specific times to talk with my mom once a week because she would be calling or texting every day. That was not the case at all! My parents wanted to give me a chance to adjust to the new area and not bother me. In reality, I wanted to talk to them all the time and be able to tell them my latest adventures in San Diego or how I was doing in my classes. Now, after almost two years of college, I realize that it’s okay to call them every day, but it’s also okay to space that out a few days.
2. You will learn a TON about yourself as an individual.
The first couple weekends you get to go out and make decisions for yourself with absolute freedom, you’re going to learn a lot of life lessons. For some it takes longer than others, but it’s good to go out and have fun and figure out who you are because you don’t have someone over your shoulder watching your every move (thanks mom and dad!). There’s this whole new definition of freedom that you get which really makes you grow as a person.
3. You will get homesick, but that’s okay.
The best piece of advice I ever got as an out of state student was that you can’t resort to going home as remedy to homesickness. You have to make your new surrounding home. Being from Washington, my family would send me autumn leaves to have in my room. As silly as that sounds, it worked as a reminder of home that I could have with me in San Diego. Pictures of my family are all over my room and they help me feel like they’re all here with me no matter what. There are a lot of students that get homesick, so you’re not alone! It’s a great way to help cure your own homesickness by talking to someone else, and you might even meet someone from the same state or city!
4. You’re going to find out really quick what you took for granted back home.
I mentioned being from Washington, where it rains all the time and there are trees everywhere, and that was a major reason I chose San Diego for it’s beautiful weather! Anyone that knows me knows how much I love the beach and want nothing to do with cold weather, but I secretly really miss the changing of the leaves every fall and the soothing sound of the rain at night.