Not sure I'm ready for college

<p>Hi guys, so I got accepted to carnegie mellon with great financial awards. The problem is that lately I've been feeling as if I'm not ready to go off to college. I grew up in a close knit family and being so far away for the next four years scare me. As a result I've been considering going to community college so that I can still stay at home with my mom and family. Yet I'm struggling because I know I'm growing up, everyone around me is moving on and I don't want to be stuck in the same place. thus passing up an opportunity to carnegie would be a mistake I feel. I love my family and I don't want to be on my own and be separate from them because I find it scary and lonely. I'm really confused if I should go off to carnegie or go to community college in order to stay by my family?</p>

<p>It would be a mistake to stay home.</p>

<p>Go. Live your life. You can always see them again during vacation.</p>

<p>Dude I have the exact same doubt and I’m going to Carnegie Mellon too! I’ll PM you. I definitely don’t think you should throw away your AMAZING future at Carnegie Mellon for a little temporary doubt and fear :)</p>

<p>Is there a university nearby that you’d be able to attend? Either way, going to a school like Carnegie Mellon would be a great opportunity for you. Maybe you’d be a bit out of your comfort zone, but you’d also hate it if you ended up regretting not going in the future. </p>

<p>It’s always hard and scary to do something that you’ve never done before. That’s just a fact of life. But if you never take that leap, then you’ll never know whether you can do it or not. Leaving home now to go to college is going to be a lot easier than leaving later either as a transfer student or when you get your first job. You’ll be in an environment with like-minded peers and with a lot of support and resources to help make the transition easier. You don’t really get the same things as a transfer student, and as a transfer student, your options would be more limited in terms of what schools you can go to and what aid you would receive. As a student, you’ll also have the ability to go home on breaks, something that you wouldn’t be able to do if you leave home for the first time to relocate for a job or something similar. Unless you’re planning on staying in your hometown for the rest of your life, leaving home now for college will give you a chance to become a little more independent, try new things, and meet new people in a supportive environment, and it will give you a chance to see that you’re capable of more than you think you are. You can go home during breaks, talk to your family over skype or the phone, and go back home after school if you want to end up there after school. Don’t let the fear of trying something new cripple you.</p>

<p>Honestly, I know the feeling that you have about wanting to go to a school nearby. It’s nice to think about going off to a really good school out of state and having a sense of independence and adventure. But at the same time, it’s tempting to go to the university that’s five minutes from my house, knowing that I’d be able to live at home, ask my mom to pack leftovers for lunch, and not have to live off of microwavable ramen. I still have a while to think about it, but the big leaps that we never take could be the ones that we remember the most.</p>

<p>Wow that is sad. How far away from home are you? You can go to school in Sept, and are back home in December which is a long break, unless you can swing a trip for Thanksgiving. Then you can go home spring break and finally all summer long. Once you go through a transition year you will likely be fine the next year. It is very easy to stay in touch on Skype and phone and email. You can talk daily if you want, and tell about all the new things going on and classes,.You can save up stories to share. You will be busy with class, homework and hanging out at school or joining clubs.</p>

<p>You don’t give up your family as you grow or stop loving them, you just add friends and experiences. Being lonely sometimes and learning to be independent is part of growing into an adult. People learn to be content with their own company and activities, and there is always a long summer and winter break.</p>

<p>Are you used to the process of making friends? It can take a while to for new friendships to get past the acquaintanceship phase but it will happen.</p>

<p>Perhaps the thing to do would be to ask CMU to defer enrollment for a year. It would be a shame to give up a spot just because you need an extra year to mature. You will definitely mature and not feel this way always. </p>

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Going away to college is overrated on here, but in this case I think you should go. You’re just nervous because of how soon it’s starting, and you’ll get over it. It’s not as scary as you think. </p>

<p>“If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.” - Lemony Snicket</p>

<p>Go for it, you will do fine. You are obviously very smart to get into CMU. You have to keep going with your life, outside of your comfort zone. As you go outside it, your comfort will expand to fit.</p>