5 Reasons to Move Away for School

Maybe you are graduating high school in June. Maybe you have completed a few semesters in university. No matter which one resonates with you, moving into your own place can be scary to think about. When I moved to Thompson Rivers University two months after graduating high school, I had a mixture of emotions. I was scared, extremely nervous, but yet I could not wait another day longer than my move-in day to start a new chapter in my life! I have been living away from home since the age of 18 to pursue my bachelors degree. Even though it's been a rollercoaster ride, I would never go back and change my decision. It has made me learn more about myself, become independent, and mature. Let's dive into my five reasons to move away for school!

#1 - Learn To Adapt To A New Environment

Odds are where you went to high school is in the city you've grown up in. You are use to going to the same neighbourhoods, schools, movie theatre, and even a specific Starbucks. This was the reality for me during my teenage years. However, the closer it became to my high school graduation, the more I realized that the world is truly my "oyster". I could complete my university education anywhere and live anywhere I want afterwards. It's such an amazing thing to know that I can live my life anywhere and it still excites me to this day. Moving to Thompson Rivers University was an opportunity I took advantage of to learn more than just my studies. I wanted to be in a new environment and learn to be independent. It was a challenge adapting to the city and school, but I suggest you try it out and embrace it. Your experience is unique and truly shapes the person you become.

#2 - Develop Responsible Habits

Waking up at 7:00 AM for high school every morning definitely isn't something I want to relive. I am not a morning person and I can assume some of you can relate to that. However, when you move away for school, whether you are 18 years old or 21 years old, you are forced to develop responsible habits that make the transition to adulthood easier. I use to wish I could stay up late on school nights, but now, I treasure the nights I get an extra hour of sleep because I feel more energized. Asides from sticking to a sleep schedule, I have learned to prioritize aspects of my life on my own and when to say no to activities. It is difficult at first to try to balance eating proper meals, exercising, getting school work done, socializing, and getting enough sleep. Just know that is won't be difficult forever and living on your own allows you to learn how to do it.

#3 - Learn How To Budget

I cannot express enough how much of a skill it is to budget properly. It takes time, consistency, organization, and self-discipline to make a budget, track it, and stick to it. One of the things you are forced to do when you move away from home is make all financial decisions on your own. There is no longer a parent you have to ask in order to buy food or clothing. As the cliche saying goes, with freedom comes responsibility, and that couldn't be more true. I have not always been the best at budgeting, to be completely transparent. One of my 2020 goals is to stick to the budget I've created for myself. I believe it is a true skill to be able to budget properly, and quite frankly a super important skill. It challenges you to think twice before ordering a coffee from Tims and think about how often you should grocery shop. Living away from home allows you to build habits that reflect good financial decisions!

#4 - Learn Chores You May Not Have Previously Done

The amount of chores I do in a week now, compared to in high school is anything but the same. My situation is a little more unique in that I own a cat, which comes with additional chores from filling up his food bowl to cleaning his litter box. However, the basic chores I do as a 21 year old living on my own include throwing out recycling and garbage, cleaning countertops, desks and pretty much the entire bathroom, doing laundry, and washing and putting away dishes. Besides in-house chores, grocery shopping is something I do once a week which I never did as a high school student. Although these things aren't the most exciting, the feeling of coming back to my apartment after throwing recycling and garbage and having all clean towels is something I like!

#5 - Learn More About Yourself

You learn so much more than in the classroom when you move away for school. Even after an entire year away from home I was still continually learning. You learn about yourself, from what you are good at and what you struggle in, to what surprisingly brings you joy. Asides from personal development, you learn who brings you joy in life and who supports you which is an eye-opening experience. I believe that attending a college or university away from home is one of the best decisions you can make in your teenage years!

Thank you for reading my blog post and I hope you enjoyed it!