This is something that I have been thinking about since I first arrived here at Siena College as a freshman. I am a Massachusetts girl at heart and I always will be. I think Boston is the most beautiful city in the world and I will always choose Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks. To me, a water fountain is a “bubbler,” Cape Cod beaches are the definition of a typical summer vacation, and the Boston sports teams will always be the best in the leagues. I love everything about my home state, yet I decided to attend college in New York, three hours away from everything that I have known and loved my entire life.
I decided to go to school in another state not only because Siena had become my first choice through my college search, but because I was looking for a new start. I had a great high school experience and it was harder than I ever imagined having to leave my best friends behind, but I was ready to start college. I couldn’t wait for new experiences and to really start becoming independent. I really didn’t want to go to college close to home because many of my high school classmates decided to go to some of the more popular schools in Massachusetts. I know about a quarter of the students that attend UMASS Amherst, as I went to high school with them! I have met the most incredible people since being at Siena, including my amazing boyfriend and my best friends Megan and Courtney. I always miss my friends from home, but having the opportunity to leave the security of my hometown has brought people into my life that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
For those collegiates out there who are in my position, you’ll understand what I mean when I say that I still get homesick. I miss my family, especially my sisters (even though we text and Snapchat all day), I miss Boston, I miss people understanding what my friends call my “Boston accent,” even though I’ve never been told I have one! Sometimes going to school in another state can be a little like living on another planet. When I first moved to Siena, mostly everyone I met was from New York and were having conversations about things that I immediately became lost about. I was not (and will NEVER be) a Yankees fan, had never heard of Stewart’s, and had absolutely no idea what the Capital Region was. There will never be a replacement of the familiarities of where you grow up, and sometimes I really do miss having my family and high school friends around all the time.
Massachusetts will always mean everything to me, but New York has become a second home. The experiences I’ve had and the relationships I’ve formed are some that I would have never had if I had decided to go to school in my home state. I think I will always be homesick for my family and friends from home and things I have known my entire life, but going to school in another state has encouraged me to become much more independent and outgoing. I never wonder what life could have been like if I had gone to college in Massachusetts because if I did, I never would have become the person that I am today.