Take a trip, man

There's no denying that my heart belongs to California. (Particularly Northern California.) I've lived here all my life, and consider myself a certified Californian.

Yet even though I love this state, in spite of all its problems, I know I won't live here forever.

A year ago, I moved back to Sacramento with the intention of finishing my GE and transferring to the University of Texas in Austin. For now, that plan remains on the back burner, but that doesn't mean its been forgotten.

While I've never lived out-of-state, much less gone to school there, I have done quite a lot of traveling.
 
There's no denying that putting yourself in a new situation can be nerve wracking. Whether it's driving to Southern California for the first time, or taking a 10 hour flight to Europe, visiting new places helps you grow as a person.

It seems to me that transferring out-of-state for school is one of the easiest ways to live somewhere new. Obviously I'm not suggesting that moving across the country is simple, but it is completely feasible.

As a community college transfer, you know you have two years to live in this new city. If you hate it, you're only stuck there for two years and then you can coming running home to your mom.

But if you love it, and you're willing to put yourself out there, you can discover a side of yourself you never knew existed.

When you move to a new town, no one knows you. No one remembers that one time you tripped and fell in the LRC, or that you were ‘weird' in high-school. In a new place, you can be whoever you want to be without fear of being called out.

Transferring to a new school can be scary though. If you don't know anyone, you find yourself trying to find new friends while getting used to a new place with potentially different customs.

But that is what college is all about. Finding your passion in life, facing the unknown, and emerging on the other side victorious. On a college campus, you're surrounded by people with similar interests.

Maybe you were always teased for being a nerd because of how much you love physics. Well guess what? All those people in your physics major probably love it to, and would be more than happy to talk about for hours on end.

If you live in student housing, you have potential friends living on your very floor. Lots of campuses theme their floors by major, meaning you and your roommates probably have similar interests.

Even if moving out-of-state for school seems like a stretch, just go somewhere new.

Summer is coming up, and even if you don't have the money to hop on a jet to Morocco for the weekend, you can find new places in little more than an hours drive.

(Ever been to Cool, California? It's only a 58 minute drive and you can take pictures in front of a big sign that says ‘Welcome to Cool.')

Stepping out of your comfort zone, moving to a new city and a new school, even just seeing new sights is something you'll never regret. Who knows, you might even learn something while you're doing it.