Attending College Out of State: Sabrina Philip
After a long journey debating where I want to go to school and dragging my family on tours and trips, I have found a home at the University of Montana. Located in Missoula, Montana, it is about a two and a half hour flight directly into town, and longer in the winter due to the necessary layover in Seattle. While attending is going to be much different than driving twenty minutes with my little sister to school, it is a journey I am excited to embark on.
I have grown up going to Missoula my entire life. My aunt went to graduate school there, and even before I was born, Montana has always been a special and heaven-like place for my family. In fact, I spent my sixteenth birthday there with my family, cousins, and Nonna because of its significance and memories we have that we were inclined to recreate. When thinking about college, however, I never considered the thought of truly attending school in such a familiar place. Yet, when it came time to choose, the decision seemed so simple and obvious, even if it meant not being able to drive home whenever I want or visit those I love.
Going to school in a different state is a unique feeling. It’s something I have always felt was necessary for me and something I always wanted, yet it comes with a mix of emotions. I am excited for the independence of having to figure out life on my own, yet sad to be so far away from those who make me the happiest. It’s weird to think I won’t be able to be home within a few minutes if I wanted to be, and strange to picture me calling home only to be in a different timezone and landscape. Yet, I know I need the challenge, and feel more prepared thanks to my parents and NDB to experience life on my own. I am excited for the adventure, and to explore more of Montana that I have yet to see. Having experience with summers spent in collegiate programs and school trips across the country by myself, I am able to confidently say I am okay being alone, and have faith in what I have been taught to know I can take the next step in my education to experience life and school in a brand new place.
Additionally, going to school in a different state usually comes with the added token of not knowing anybody. This is true in my scenario as I know nobody going to the University of Montana. While I am familiar with some people in the area, I do not know anybody at the school, which challenges me to introduce myself and show who I am in a new environment. Leaving behind my friends in correlation with this idea makes me extremely sad as I am met with the challenge to find people who I enjoy spending time with and adore just as much. I have been so lucky to meet my forever friends at NDB, and am challenged in a whole new way to meet new people and establish who I am in a new, unfamiliar environment. Although I have been to Missoula many times, I have yet to experience living at the University with people I do not know. While this thought is nerve wracking, it is experiences like these that make college so beneficial to the overall development of young adults, and is a hurdle I can only overcome by jumping forward confidently with my faith, morals, and guidance I have received from my family and those at NDB.
As graduation approaches, I am met with a whirlwind of emotions. It is surreal to think of the journey that lies ahead, and while the reality of it all has yet to hit me completely, I am both excited and nostalgic to take the next step in my education. I am beyond sad to be apart from my best friends, who are going to school in California and Boston, yet motivated to use everything I have learned up to this point to experience what life has to offer me. If I have learned anything up to this point, it is to use my faith as a guide, and trust my instincts that are innate in me to guide me on the right path. While I know I will be home often and have visitors more often than not, I am excited to take the next step “somewhere in the middle of Montana” (“Big City” by Merle Haggard).
Attending college in state: Annette Henderson
Of all the schools I applied to for college, I would have never imagined that I would end up only 45 minutes away from my home at the University of California, Berkeley. I always pictured myself leaving the Bay Area for college. More than half the universities I applied to were located in Southern California. The rest were in Washington, Texas, Oregon, and Indiana. Initially, when I decided to commit to Berkeley I was distraught by the idea of not moving away, exploring a new city, and having a blank slate. But, I have come to realize that I am extremely content with my proximity to home and there are many opportunities I will have in the next four years that college students farther away will not.
When I realized that going to Berkeley means I can come home for my sister’s sweet 16 in October, join my family’s spontaneous weekend trips to Carmel, and see my adorable dog whenever I want, I felt a sense of gratitude for my future ability to be there for the small and big moments in my loved one’s lives. I feel very lucky to have so much of my family in the Bay Area. Almost all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins live relatively close-by, along with my grandma in Menlo Park. I anticipated a disconnect from family that I would experience for the next four years. I imagined myself being hours away, possibly in a different state, only coming home for major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break and having to summarize months of my life into a few conversations. But now, I feel confident in my familial relationships and that they will continue to thrive as I have the opportunity to visit and spend quality time with relatives on the weekends.
Over the past 18 years I have been to Berkeley three times. Once was for intersession when I did college visits, another time to watch a football game where Cal played my father’s alma mater, and the third time was on admitted students day last month. All three times, the campus felt foreign to me. If I could choose one word to describe it, I would simply say that it is huge. On admitted students day my parents and I walked miles going to different parts of the campus, getting lost along the way. But all of this is to say that although Berkeley is close-by, I have so much more exploring to do and familiarity to gain. Plus, I am extremely excited to be closer to San Francisco than I am now. The city is definitely a place I want to explore more, but I just have not gotten the chance to yet. Over the next four years I plan on attending many more Giants games, Warriors games, and concerts in San Francisco, as well as exploring other areas and enjoying all the amazing dining experiences the city has to offer.
Initially, when I realized going to Cal meant going to college with girls I have known for the past four years, I was preoccupied with the idea that I would not have a true blank slate. But, I realized that I do not need to reinvent myself in college. At Notre Dame, I am empowered to be my most true and authentic self. I want to continue this attitude at Cal alongside my classmates from NDB. Plus, having friends coming into college makes me feel much less intimidated about freshman year. I am extremely grateful to have close friends attending my same college where we can hopefully end senior year together in 2028 still as close friends.
Committing to Cal made me scared that I was signing up on missing out on the ultimate college experience. I thought that I was not going to be able to grow as an individual and simply confide in the comfort of home. Although I still have some fears, I have come to realize that Cal will be a place that opens much more doors for me than close. I am beyond excited for the fall and to start the next chapter in my book.
