Hi!
I am a San Diego resident (born and raised) and was recently accepted into SDSU & UC Berkeley for Psychology.
I understand what a HUGE opportunity it is to go to Berkeley, but I’m not sure if the distance is too much. I’m incredibly close to my mother and even the thought of being so far away from her terrifies me. I know it’s normal to feel this way, but how much is too much? If anyone has any experience with this, I’d really appreciate your input.
first of all congrats! i’ve personally never been far from home for too long but i’d say that it is still possible to keep in touch with family even with distance. the longest i’ve been away is a week (and it was across the country) and it was tough the first day but i was so busy with coursework and activities that evenings rolled around fast and i was able to call my mother (who i am also close with). i hope this helps in some way!
@jesseniaxsanchez Congratulations! The distance is not too much, it is just upstate. Lots of kids do this.You can do it. There are so many things you can do to mitigate the distance. Berkeley is a huge opportunity and well deserved I am sure. If your mother and you are very close involve her in everything you can in preparation for college from shopping for bedding, to choosing classes, to her opinions on clubs and such. Will you have a car at college? If not you may only be able to get home certain bigger breaks like Thanksgiving and Christmas. That is a good thing so you can build your relationships on campus. Can the family visit you possibly? If they have the means to do so great, if not there is facetime. You can pick a time once a week, once a day or whatever fits your relationship with your mom, find a pretty place on campus and talk to her as a kind of mother daughter time. You two can text often and you can send photos of what fun you are having and what cool buildings, books, classes, events you are seeing/participating in. It is your time to spread your wings. It is very normal to have jitters after visualizing your self at each place. San Diego will always be there. Can you/your parents afford each equally?
Mom here, whose beloved first born chose a college on another continent… and none of whose college kids have been less than a 11 hour drive away!
As the others have said, electronics are your friend- you can be in contact with your mom (and friends and family) so easily and casually. Although my collegekids, (and now also grad school and post-college kids) message frequently and randomly through the week, we found that it worked to also have a couple of set times for calls as well- b/c their days got so busy with all the things in their new lives! Yours will, too.
Remember that the goal of pretty much every parent is to get their kids ready to spread their wings and fly. We know that means some amount of flying the nest, which is a little bittersweet (go search Sunrise / Sunset on YouTube), but is an essential part of seeing a child grow into adulthood. And seeing your fledgling soar is a wonderful thing 
You can do it. You are not banned just because you go to college and can arrange to call/Facetime your mother often. Considering how close you two are, I think she would be disappointed if you felt you couldn’t take on new challenges. You are not going that far. My DS is far away and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Since my children were small, I encouraged them to see this big beautiful world and give me some place to visit. Imagine spending time at a coffee shop near Berkeley with her when she comes to visit. She will be so proud of you.
You have an awesome opportunity to go to one of the premier public universities in the world, UC Berkeley. Thank your lucky stars…
Flight from SD to Oakland are only 1.5 hours and can be booked cheaply with advanced notice. Part of becoming an adult is getting out of your comfort zone/bubble that you live in during high school. Will you miss your mom, of course, but don’t let that relationship keep you from achieving your dreams that you worked so hard for. Good luck to you!