When I first decided that I wanted to go to a school out of state, my entire family thought that I had lost my mind. I’m sure this goes for everyone else who also told their parents that being close to home wasn’t a factor in their college decision.
For me I moved from the popular SJU student location of Southern California. Before my arrival on campus, I wish that someone had given me a play by play of what to expect when I came to St. John’s being an out of state student.
Most Californians are used to hearing dude or hella at least ten times in a day, and if they’re not, they’re probably not interacting with people enough. When I first moved to New York, I noticed that these words were still used, just not nearly as much. Lit and mad were terms that seemed unheard of to the west coast. Out of state students aren’t much different from everyone else though.
If this is your first time being away from home, you will miss it. We crave familiarity, and when it’s no longer there we freak out. But don’t worry, SJU will soon become home and you’ll never want to leave.
College is a time for change and growth, and when you return home after going through all of the learning and new experiences that you are going to go through, don’t be shocked when everyone at home is exactly who they were when you left.
I packed a lot of clothes that I never even got the chance to wear and now I have two wardrobes: one that I can only wear in California and one for the tons of things that I can only wear in New York. I even brought books. As if I had free time to read anything other than my textbooks. I promise you that you aren’t going to need all of those curling irons and makeup sets you have. After your first 7:30 class you won’t even touch any other clothing item that isn’t sweats and a t-shirt.
After being away at school for a while, you will wonder why you ever complained about your parents cooking dinner instead of letting you eat out. There is only so much of campus dining you can take before you start thinking pizza is a gourmet meal.
Since I am from California, I never had to live in snow. I knew what snow was and what it was like, but I didn’t fully grasp what it would be like to live in it for multiple months. Thankfully, it wasn’t too bad of a change. If you aren’t used to the climate change, I suggest you find yourself some good boots if you plan on walking outside for long periods of time. Warm jackets are also a definite must!
While some of your new found friends or even roommates might have the liberty to go home every weekend, you don’t. This might upset you at first, but you’ll soon see that as the year progresses, their weekends away start fading.
So if you’re like me you don’t get sick very often (thank goodness), but if you’re also like me and always out and about, odds are you will get at least one miserable cold throughout the school year. You won’t want to leave your bed, go to class, or even move. Sadly, Monty’s is a long walk from your dorm room, but you don’t have any other options. This cold may drive you to not want to ever leave your parent’s side ever again… you know just in case.
I remember my parents making me agree to call them at least three times a week. It was over dramatic and we all knew that it would be more like once a week plus a few texts. After a while it turned into calls when most convenient and a text only when something important happened or you had a question about filling out a health form. Your parents might be a little more involved in comparison, but after a while those check-in phone calls start falling off of your list of things to do. Especially if there’s a time difference!
After the year away from home, except for the major breaks, you won’t want to leave. You’ll learn to love the campus and consider it your home. Even though you have friends and family awaiting you out of state, you’re going to miss being able to walk down the hall or a few floors to hang out with friends. Especially since bedtime doesn’t really exist in college! You might even miss eating campus food. SJU is a home away from home, and any Johnnie can see that.
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