This is my first year living away from home and I have some mixed feelings. Though I have been living in my dorm at Kent State University for almost two months now, I am still adjusting some. My first few weeks here felt crazy. I am a sophomore currently, however I transferred from a school much closer to my home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So, my freshman year I commuted and was still able to live at home. Coming to Kent State I knew what college was like, but I did not know what living away from home for a long period of time was like. Living on campus has been confusing and nerve racking, as well as exciting at times.
Home is my comfortable place and I definitely am not good at leaving my comfort zone, so transferring to somewhere farther away has been difficult. Not being able to be home with family and friends and my boyfriend all the time has been a major change. I call my mom and dad almost every day and my boyfriend and I are constantly texting and talking on the phone. I have gone home a few times this semester already and every time I do go home for the weekend I feel so happy and relaxed being around all the people I love.
Trying to figure everything out about being on my own has been confusing and nerve racking. I have my own schedule that is not affected by other people too often. I am the one making sure I eat properly and enough throughout the day. Sometimes I’ll be doing homework and other things for classes and suddenly realize I haven’t eaten in multiple hours. I also catch myself snacking a lot instead of eating actual meals which I definitely need to work on. I have to make sure I am awake on time and ready to leave for classes on time. Though I mostly did this myself since early high school, there was almost always someone else around to wake me if they noticed I slept in a little too long.
Though adjusting to things on my own has been difficult, it has also been exciting to have a sense of independence. If I want to leave my dorm to do something like go get food or go for a walk, I do not have to ask permission or necessarily tell anyone I am going somewhere for a little bit. My parents, when I got older, were not super strict and as long as they knew where I was and that I was safe, they did not mind me staying out later with friends or my boyfriend.
Living on campus has definitely been an adjustment, but I honestly would suggest living on campus or away from home while you are in college. I miss home all the time, but having to figure everything out myself has giving me a lot more confidence and the bigger sense of independence I did not know I needed. Going to a university close to home that you can commute to is great because you save money and still see your family all the time, but living on campus gives you so much independence, which I think is important to experience early on in college.