Ever since I was a junior in high school, I always wanted to move into my own space, decorate it and have the freedoms that I didn’t have before. While I’ve been able to do all of these things in college, I sometimes still get homesick. Most recently, I went back home for Easter weekend and found myself really missing being at home with my family. This made me reflect on all the positives and negatives of becoming an independent adult in college and leaving home behind. There are always gonna be positives and negatives of that. Let me tell you some of mine.

Positives: 

• Finding who I am:

I have always kind of bounced between different versions of myself. I mean, what young person hasn’t? However, moving away from my family, as hard as it is sometimes, gave me the opportunity to really step out of my comfort zone and figure out who I am. I know how I like to dress, I know who I want to surround myself with, and I know what I want to accomplish. As soon as I surrounded myself with people I loved, they made me realize I was safe to be myself with both my inward and outward appearances.

• A newfound freedom:

My parents never really gave me a curfew or tracked where I was going, so it’s not like I was eager to leave home and get out. However, doing my own shopping, setting my own schedule and doing what I want, when I want, gives me a sense of adulthood – a very new feeling to me. Setting my own schedule helped me realize how my body functioned, when my brain was at its peak and how I like to go about my day.

• A push towards my goals:

Coming to college, I had absolutely no idea how I was even going to function without someone telling me how to handle a situation or spoon-feeding me the answers inside my comfort zone. For example, instead of constantly asking my mom what I should do, I stop for a minute and think about how she would handle it and then figure it out myself. When I was forced to think on my own and make those decisions for myself, it helped me find what I wanted and needed – like a push in the right direction and some much-needed growing up. It helped me with my independence and truly showed me that I can do anything I set my mind to.

Negatives:

• Home body:

Personally, my room at home is my safest space. I’m such a homebody. I could stay in there for HOURS and be perfectly content. Moving to college and knowing I had to room with a stranger freaked me out initially. Nothing I knew was going to come with me to college. Now, my roommate and I are super close and I couldn’t ask for a better person to vent to at night. Being in the same room as someone, nearly all the time, makes you close with that person 99% of the time. So, as my roommate and I became familiar with one another, we began to lean on each other and eventually developed a dependable friendship.

• Weekend homesickness:

Everytime I go home for the weekend, it’s always harder to come back to school. Something about seeing my parents and boyfriend, sleeping in my own bed and just having the comfort of home again, makes me want to stay for a few extra days. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love college and it’s definitely for me, but I also love a good home visit.

• Adulting:

College is when the journey of adulthood TRULY starts. No one is there to hold your hand or tell you what to do. You have to make those decisions for you and you alone. You also have to navigate tough situations and strict deadlines without constant reminders or leniency. For example, professors aren’t always going to tell you when to turn something in. Sometimes, you just have to check. If they aren’t easy with deadlines and you miss an assignment, resulting in a lower grade overall, it’ll teach you a thing or two about responsibility.

Moving away from my childhood home had some struggles and some amazing aspects to it. I know that this is the beginning of the beginning and that I am on the path to success. I just had to take that first step out of my comfort zone.  I found my groove and know that I want to succeed. I’m sure you will too.