When I was growing up, I always thought that I would stay in my small hometown of Mars, Pennsylvania for the rest of my life. I liked where I lived, so why leave? I didn’t realize the importance of moving away from my hometown, even if it wasn’t permanent. When it came time to decide on colleges, I suddenly felt like I couldn’t stay in-state. Cost and education were factors for sure, but I realized that I didn’t want to go to a school in Pittsburgh that would be 20 minutes from my house in Mars. It was time for me to experience life without the comfort of my family and friends. Morgantown, West Virginia seemed like the perfect compromise. Since WVU’s campus is only an hour and a half away from home, the move wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be. My parents could come to see me if I needed them to. However, the move for college was big enough to completely transform me as a person.
The first thing you gain when you move away from your family and your hometown is independence. I’m not talking about independence like learning how to cook, clean and do your own laundry (although these are important things to learn!) When you live by yourself, you really learn how to deal with problems by yourself. In college, you can’t have your mom bring your lunch to school when you forget it. You can’t pass classes because your teacher was best friends with your parents in high school. When you move to a new place, no one knows who you are. This forces you out of your comfort zone and makes you learn how to be completely self-sufficient. You don’t have your old friends from high school to rely on. You learn how to make new friends, acquaintances and relationships. This new-found independence is extremely rewarding and teaches lessons that you will remember for the rest of your life.
By moving away from your hometown, you will also be able to have many new experiences that might not have been available to you before. This is different depending on where you’re from and where you move to, but the lesson remains the same. Your new state or town might give you access to experiences in nature such as beach trips or mountain climbing. Your landscape might change from rural to urban or vice versa. It’s always good to try something out- you never know what you like until you try it.
One of the most important lessons that you can learn from moving around is perspective. Changing locations can often open your world view and create a better understanding of the people around you. When I moved from the greater urban Pittsburgh area to West Virginia, the political landscape changed a lot. The county where WVU is seated in is similar to Pittsburgh but the rest of the state is completely different. Pittsburgh is a progressive and mainly liberal city. Most of West Virginia is very conservative. This was a culture shock to me, but it was interesting to see how the perspective differed between person to person. West Virginia’s history of farming and coal-mining shaped their perspective into something that I would never understand unless I experienced it firsthand. For some of my fellow WVU students, Morgantown is the most progressive place that they have ever lived. Experiencing the culture of different towns and cities can shape your world view and get you out of the culture “bubble” that you’re used to in your hometown.
Although it may not seem like a big deal, move out of your hometown for a year or longer if you have the ability to. Travel near and far, and take advantage of the opportunities in front of you. Be fearless and take control of your future. If you decide to move back home, you will take the lessons that you’ve learned back with you and keep them for the rest of your life.