College is the first time for many students to find a home away from home. As the school year comes to a close, seniors are preparing to grasp their new independence and juniors are beginning to consider their post-high school options. So as the graduating class’ college decisions come to fruition, here is some advice to the rising seniors who will soon be thrown into the tumult of college preparation.

An early disclaimer: regardless of what college you go to, the educational resources and opportunities available are only limited by a student’s willingness to search.

However, education – while it may be the primary focus – is just part of the experience of moving on to college. A larger aspect is broadening your experience as a scholar, citizen, and emerging  adult. The greatest benefit of an out-of-state education comes with the relative diversity that it holds.

Growing up in Arizona, I can say the speeding drivers, scorching summers, and Southern culture have all shaped me as person. But, the opportunity to live in another environment filled with new culture, climate, and people offers an expansion of the mind in the same way that my home state had. It is a misconception that when someone moves out of state they are cutting ties with family and friends; trading old for new. However, it is more akin to embracing new  influences, each of which builds upon the personality you are adapting as an adult.

Considering the experience one will have garnered over four years, an out-of-state environment allows one to build both professional and personal relationships in multiple states. It is this network of connections that allows one to establish not only their own identity, but to establish points of home far beyond that of actual residence. After all, home is the collection of people that we give importance to and building this “home” well beyond the boundaries of familiarity expands the places one can incorporate within their own personality.

One of the turn-offs of an out-of-state college is the drastic change associated with moving away. Aside from the normal practices of leaving home, having to take one’s own responsibilities and learn how to do laundry, going out of state holds the small addition of of being possibly thousands of miles away from family. While a daunting prospect, this compels a greater need for maturity and independence. Not only are you learning the new culture of college, but in a new environment.

Personally, I had concluded that my next four years would be spent almost 2,100 miles away from the state that I had grown up in. This opportunity also presented itself as a fresh start. Being thrust into the completely unknown may be a shock initially, but life is about adapting to new waters, crossing new oceans.