Students at The University of Arizona are mostly from Arizona or California. There are a handful of East coasters and Midwesterners, but it’s safe to say the majority are practically natives. This is no coincidence, most students choose to come here because it is close to home, but it’s completely different from where they grew up. Obviously, this excludes the people from Tucson. The U of A provides the quintessential college experience because it is fairly removed from the rest of the world. Tucson isn’t your typical college town, but the biggest thing it has going is the university, and a crime problem (that’s another story).
Anyways, people from southern and northern California like it because they weather is nice and it’s a change of pace from home, but it’s only a few hours on a plane away from home. Even more people from Phoenix and the surrounding cities choose to go to the UA because it’s away from home whilst still being only a two-hour drive. This may seem idyllic, but the proximity can cause some issues. Some might consider the U of A to be a commuter school. That is, a large majority of the student body goes home for the weekends. On certain weekends, the place can feel like a ghost town. It is pretty much guaranteed that at least one of my friends will be driving home for the weekend, even if it’s homecoming or there are fun things going on in Tucson. For people who can’t go home or don’t want to go home, it’s a buzkill, for lack of a better word. Going home for holidays or after you’ve been at school for a few months is understandable, but going home just so you can sleep in your own bed and eat at your favorite restaurant is ridiculous.
College is about growing up, there is a reason you don’t live with your parents anymore. This is the first time in most people’s live that they can be completely independent, excluding the supplemental income your parents deposit in your bank account every month. Shouldn’t this be a time to enjoy being on your own? What is the point of going to school away from home if you’re just going to turn around as soon as classes are over? Moving away can be incredibly difficult, but it seems as if most people here take the easy way out. Tucson isn’t exactly the world’s greatest city in comparison to LA or Phoenix or Scottsdale, or Cleveland for that matter. Part of the college experience here is learning how to survive in Tucson. If you visited the school before you agreed to go here, you knew what you were getting yourself into.
Maybe the reason so many people go home is because they’re homesick. However, anyone who went to sleep away camp or kindergarten knows that calling home only makes things worse. If you go home, you’re pretty much shooting yourself in the foot. The longer you stay here, the less home sick you will get. Plus, going home is more special when it isn’t routine. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Stick it out or move back in with your parents.