Choosing where you go to college is one of the most important decisions you will make as a young adult. Senior year of high school everyone begins to announce where they will be attending, and it’s the topic of almost every conversation, whether you like it or not. When I told people I was going to UNH, the reactions I got were all over the board. Being from Pennsylvania and attending a university 6 hours away had people puzzled and confused. Here’s what I learned after 3 semesters being 300 miles away from home.
Pros
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Exploring a New Place: A lot of times people have the desire to get up and move from everything they know. By picking a school far from home, you get to do that, just without the commitment of permanently moving.
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A Fresh Start!: Finally a fresh start! College is all about growing and exploring who you really are as a person, and there is no better way of doing that than being surrounded by people who don’t know the old you.
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Independence: For many, this is the first time they are living on their own, and responsible for making their own decisions. As scary as that is, we all have to grow up at some point and this is the perfect way to transition into it. Although you aren’t living under your parent’s roof anymore, you still have people around you making sure you don’t completely go off the rails.
Cons
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Being Home Sick: The downside of not being a short drive or train ride away is not being able to go home at the drop of a hat. Everyone has times where they just want to be at home in their own bed, but when you are 6 hours away, that’s just not a reality. It’s a good thing distance makes the heart grow fonder!
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No More High School Friends: Well that’s not true, but it is definitely much harder to know everything that’s going on in each other lives when there are hundreds of miles between you. At school, you meet so many new people that it is hard to keep your hometown friends in the loop, but it definitely makes catching up so much better.
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Missing Home Traditions: The mundane routines that seemed unimportant at the time become slowly missed. Like watching TV with your family after dinner, telling your mom about your day, and even fighting with your siblings.