Picking the Right School: Traveling Outside of Your Comfort Zone

One of our biggest obstacles in life is ourselves. We all long to feel safe so we end up placing ourselves in a tiny box we call our 'comfort zone.' Everyone is guilty of it at one point or another, but the key to success is to break out of it. 

As teenagers, looking at life outside of high school can be exciting but also terrifying. Some of us will retreat to our comfort zones and deny ourselves the opportunity of experiencing the world outside of what's familiar. We want to hold onto our family, friends, relationships, whatever helps us feel safe. This need for safety becomes apart of the decision process when we are choosing the schools we apply to. When I applied to my alma mater, my decision was based on the fact that I could still enroll in my program of choice while still living at home. I wanted to stay close to home with my friends and family. I was afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone. Looking back I realized that I denied myself the opportunity to grow. I enabled myself to go to campus just to attend my classes and come straight home. I did not participate in any campus activities. I was more focused on being comfortable. I already had friends. I had a job. I had a computer so there wasn't even a need to use the library. I already had my life and with no one telling me the importance of resume building (experience other than work experience) so I thought I had it all figured out. 

Now you may be saying to yourself; well what does the choice of school have to do with this, I'll just participate in extracurricular activities blah blah blah. My point is you can say that but when the time comes what will you really do? Maybe going away to school will give you the extra push you need to step out of you comfort zone. Living on campus may force you to make new friends which could lead to active participation in extracurricular activities. Being more comfortable with meeting new people can lead to so many opportunities that go beyond college. You don't have to be afraid to take risks at such a young age. If you do decide to stay home, just make sure that you find activities to peak your interest because you never know what doors may open.