I believe in stepping out of your comfort zone.
It was the beginning of my senior year and it was time to send out my college applications. Most of the schools I applied to were smaller and close to home except for a select few. Penn State University, one of the biggest schools I applied to, was an extremely popular school for kids from my town to attend.
Penn State was my dream school! Although I wanted nothing more than to be accepted, I didn’t know if going to school three hours away from home was the right decision for me.
I come from a very large, loud Italian family who is extremely close. I am used to huge pasta dinners every Sunday and spending quality time with my family, laughing and conversing. I had never been away from home before for an extended time and the thought of leaving my family brought tons of anxiety.
As the fall months started to approach, I began receiving acceptance offers to some of the schools I had applied to. As exciting as it was to receive an acceptance letter, I couldn’t picture myself at any of those schools. After waiting four very long months filled with anxiety, I checked my Penn State portal at 5am on a cold, January morning. My eyes were barely open, when I saw the words, “Congratulations”! I literally jumped out of my bed, screaming and crying with tears of excitement as my family shouted “we are”!
As a result of my acceptance to Penn State, I sat down with my parents to discuss my future and what I wanted out of my education. Although, I didn’t want to leave home, how could I ever pass up the opportunity of going to my dream school, PSU?
Making the decision wasn’t easy, but my parents and I decided that it would be an amazing growing experience with the opportunity to obtain an exceptional education while. However, this was going to be a true test for me. For once, I needed to step out of my comfort zone, leave home and go away to school at Penn State.
Fast forwarding to May 1, 2016, “college decision day”, my friends and I celebrated our acceptances in the senior parking lot of our high school decked out in our accepted college attire. I was adorned in PSU blue and white from head to toe including my lion ears! Knowing that I would be leaving in less than two months, I made certain that I enjoyed every last moment of high school.
Only two short days after my high school graduation, I said goodbye to my friends, packed our car and left home to attend the summer session at Penn State. Happily, two of my friends from home, one of them being my roommate, were also attending PSU summer session with me which made the transition process much easier.
After setting up my dorm room, I had to say goodbye to my parents and my grandma. While hugging them, I couldn’t help myself but to cry. Saying goodbye to my family was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but I knew, as did they, that they were leaving me in a happy place, my new home away from home, Happy Valley!
Now that I am a junior, I can confidently say that stepping out of my comfort zone and going away to school was one of the best decisions I have ever made emotionally, academically and socially. Although I didn’t think that I would ever be able to leave those Sunday dinners behind, doing so has afforded me to make lifelong friendships, obtain a remarkable education and has helped me create amazing memories that will last a lifetime.
Stepping out of my comfort zone and going away to college has made me stronger and much more confident. I have learned that if I do not let fear hold me back, I am able to experience new things, explore the unknown, and mature both emotionally and intellectually. As anxious and afraid as I was to step outside of my comfort zone and attend Penn State, it truly turned out to be the best decision I ever made. Therefore, I will continue to embrace my fears and discomfort in new situations and always try to remember that the greatest experiences can surface when you’re uncomfortable!