Why I Choose to Move Across Country for College
Moving away from home for the first time is a scary experience for most people. Especially if you're moving to a city where you have no family nearby to help you, let alone moving nearly 2,000 miles away from the only city you're really familiar with to be in a strange place.
However, that is exactly what I am getting ready to embark on for the first time in my life. I'm moving from little Conway, SC all the way to Denver, CO to attend school at Regis University. For many people, the decision to move away is difficult. I even asked myself “What if I need my family?”, “What if I get homesick?”, and most importantly “Is this the right decision?”. After a lot of debating, I decided that the 3 days drive away from home is going to be not only a big life decision, but it will also be a perfect learning experience to get me started in life.
Here are 5 reasons why I think taking the chance and moving away from everyone I know and attending University in an unknown place is a good decision for the long run.
1. Learning to live and thrive on my own
As a college freshman fresh out of high school, I have close to none experience living on my own. My mom has cooked for me, provided laundry services for me, and paid for most things for 18 years. While I'm grateful for this assistance through my life, it is now my time to be the adult.
By moving away to live in a dorm I'll have to take care of feeding myself, doing my own laundry, having and maintaining a job to keep up with bills, and most importantly, I'll be reminding myself to do my homework! This is a life lesson that all people have to go through at some point. Everyone has to learn how to take care of themselves. For me, going to college and living away from family is the perfect opportunity for me to learn to live on my own. Even though I know my family is a phone call away if I ever need help, I also know that it will be easier to do it on my own especially since I am moving so far away. It's the perfect opportunity to show my family that I am ready to take care of myself.
2. Meeting new people
While I love my friends and my family in South Carolina, It's always a thrilling experience to meet new people who can provide me with a different outlook on life. Everyone has their own unique stories that can provide me with new thoughts and feelings on how life is. My advice is to always meet new people with an open mind because they can show you and teach you something new, exciting, and valuable. College is the perfect place to make new friends and acquaintances to enhance your life!
3. New Experiences
Moving away for college is super scary. It's a new place that you have never even been, but new places mean new opportunities to discover. At this point in your life, you have probably done everything possible in your hometown. Moving away to a new place widens your availability of things to do! For me, I look forward to living somewhere with snow and to get to go skiing. Denver has so many opportunities that little old Conway has never had for me and it's thrilling to have my world open up to the possibilities with just a snap of my fingers.
4. Finding new parts of Myself
Moving away to a big new city without anyone of my friends or family being there with me will most certainly give me the opportunity to find myself. Until this point, I've always had my family and my friends around to influence the way I think and feel about certain things such as politics and religion, however, moving away from that influence will allow me to do soul searching to figure out what I believe. What are my personal opinions on these matters? Of course, I have a good idea now what I feel and think, but moving away for college will give me even more of an opportunity to explore these ideas and beliefs. It will also give me an opportunity to experiment with different ideas and beliefs that I didn't acknowledge previously. This will open more opportunities for me to really develop into and get to know the person I am.
5. Fewer Distractions
Of course, I have to remember why I’m going to college in the first place, to learn and to study. By moving away I won't always have my family or my friends asking me to spend time with them when I need to be focusing on my education. Of course, I'm always going to have a call or two from them asking how I'm doing and just seeing how things are going, but they won't be physically there to distract me from my studies. Yes, I'm going to go and make new friends and enjoy new activities, but in this new place, those distractions can easily become second to my education. I’m paying money to move away and to learn! It will all pay off in the long run!
Now, obviously my friends and family will miss me as I make this big move, but they are encouraging me. They know that I have made the right decision for myself and they know it will benefit me in the long run. It is nerve-wracking and exciting, but I know deep in my heart that I made the right decision and that taking the chance and moving away from everything I know will open up my life to more opportunities than I can even see yet. Moving across country is so scary, but I'm excited to experience all that Denver, CO has in store for me.