What It's Like Taking College Away from Home

1. You just can't help but be homesick sometimes.

You'll think of home. You'll think of what you would've been doing if you're there and not here. You'll contemplate a lot of things when you're alone or when you're staring at the ceiling at nights before you go to sleep. And it may come to the level where you'll regret studying away from home. Why you even dared to go out of your comfort zone when all you need are the comforting arms of your mother or the words of your siblings that you could take comfort at. Why you even thought of needing more when all you really need is right there in front of you - your family, your happiness, your life.

2. You will have a lot of friends and yet, you still wouldn't completely feel that you belong.

Home is where you belong, they say. But when you don't have your family to make sure that you really won't feel out of place, you will miss them. You will want to go back and just beg them to come with you or even ask for God to put your university near them. You will talk with and meet lots of people but at the end of the day, you'll question why you're even there in the first place.

3.You will feel lonely, alone or both. And you will still feel courageous enough to keep going.

According to Adrea Cope of Thought Catalog, being lonely is a state of mind but being alone is a state of being. 'Lonely' is when you feel those waves of sadness seeping through your veins but 'alone' is when you don't have someone else to be with you. When you're away from home, you could feel alone or lonely at some point but sometimes, the emotions are just too powerful for you to feel both. But when that happens, you are not going to back down. It's because you know that your parents are out there somewhere, thinking of you and paying your tuition. That's going to be your push; that's going to be the reason you will try your best at school.

4. You will be free but sometimes, you'd have to remind yourself of your limits.

Because you got out of your comfort zone, it's so easy to just get lost in the world of college. The freedom could be very overwhelming and it could get to the point where you could somehow drown in it. Here's some tip for you: don't. Don't let it suck you into its whirlpool. Discipline is the key here. Focus on your goal and draw the line to your limits. Have fun and be wild and free, sure, but don't ever go overboard.

5. You will study harder because you know that some people out there - your family, most especially - are counting on you.

I've somehow mentioned this in #3. Because you know that there are the people back in your home who are counting on you and praying that you'll make a good life for you and for them, you will try your very best to make them proud. You will spend some sleepless nights just to review for an exam and even if you're tired, you will picture them in your mind and you'll magically be okay again. That's the power of inspiration; that's how much their love and support for you make you the best individual.

6. You will buy groceries for yourself.

And it is one of the saddest parts of your life. Knowing that when you're at home, you wouldn't be problematic on the food you will be eating or the supplies you will be using. But here, you have to provide yourself the stuff that your Mom would've initiatively bought you or the things you would normally just ask someone to buy for you. It's fine though because in buying groceries alone, you will feel quite matured and ready to face the challenging world.

7. You will learn how to budget your money. But damn, sometimes, you just couldn't do it right.

You may download apps like Pocket Expense to make sure you know where your money is going or tuck some dollars on your closet to make sure that you'll have some extra money when you need it. But whatever way you save or spend your money, it's just so hard to budget it. That's normal, though. You'll just have to cut some expenses to ensure you'll still have allowance in the next week or you can be a baby who asks so much money from his/her parents. Well, the choice is yours.

8. You will cross out the days on your calendar until the day you will go back home.

I do not really do this but I know someone who does. Given the chance of having a spare calendar, I think that I, myself, would do this. It would feel like your waiting time to go back home is not going to waste because you have proof that time flies fast and days come by.and lastly,

9. You will always yearn to go back home, spend time with your family, and just let time pass with the most important persons in your life.

Boy, you will surely miss a lot of people - from your friends, to your family, or to your pet. It doesn't matter; all you'll ever want to be is be with them. That's where communication is necessary to take place. In our time today, we almost have all the resources to converse with people who are so far from us. Skype or Facetime with them; call them even if the timezones are making it more of a struggle. Text them whenever you could. Or if you could, just go home for a weekend or a holiday and hug them tight so they'd feel your love. Simple things may look like they're not making it any better but actually, these things could make the greatest impact. Do they connect you with the people you love the most and isn't that quite amazing? Go take advantage of it.Can you relate with these? What numbers do you most agree/disagree at? Do you have anything to add more? Comment down your thoughts in the comment section loves, and let's talk! I hope this will be useful for you. Have a happy life!Yours,