The Good and the Bad

I’ve been writing about college quite a bit lately; about getting ready, what to pack, and what to do, etc. There have been several subjects I could advise you about before I got here, but there are several more that I needed to figure out for myself before I could write about them. I never want to feed my readers empty words, so I like to know at least a bit about what I’m writing before I actually type it out. That’s why I’ve waited to broach this article until I actually arrived on campus and settled in.

Yesterday was move-in day, and it was pretty hectic. My parents, Tye, my little brother, and I waited in line for almost two hours just to get my key. After that, it took several more hours to get my room set up. They even came back to work on it more today!

When we got everything set up, it was time for everyone but me to go. They were all headed home, and I was going to be staying in the dorm alone because my roommate was headed back as well.  It was sad, seeing my parents leave me, and I was upset at the thought that I might not get to see Tye for a while. But that’s the thing about new opportunities and new life: it’s sad and amazing at the same time.

As I got in the car to start for the university (about an hour’s drive), I felt extremely free. I don’t have to answer to anyone else; my only responsibilities are going to school and making good grades. I don’t have to go home on the weekends if I don’t want to. I don’t have to do anything at all.

Being an adult and being on your own is great, but of course it comes with responsibility. And the only reason I don’t have to “listen to my mother” is because I’m not around her anymore. So while being alone is great, and having my own schedule and rules is even better, it’s also made possible by something that sort of stinks – I’m not at home anymore.

I love being here on campus, and leaving my hometown is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but I’ll miss it. I’ll miss the acres of pasture, not having neighbors, and the small-town atmosphere there. But the truth of the matter is that you can never miss something you don’t leave. So I encourage you to follow your dreams and your goals; I’m the first person in my family to attend a university and to be a full-time student. And while it hurts to leave sometimes, there are things in life that I have to do. Growing up is certainly one of them.