<p>I am heading off to college in September and as I have been getting everything ready I can't help but feel very sad about not seeing my family for months. I'm going to a private Christain school that for the most part is isolated in a ruralish area. It is a good 15 hour (non stop) drive from my hometown and flights are expensive out of the small airport nearby so I will only be able to come home for Holidays. My family has always been really close and just thinking about it makes me tear up. I have a pug and she is like my baby. She sleeps in my bed, I wash her, walk her, and I am in total denile that I can't take her with me next year. How do I get over this feeling of separation anxiety and get excited about college?</p>
<p>Hi Gidget…it’s not uncommon to feel anxiety while you anticipate the thought of leaving your family and starting a new chapter of your life. I assume you found enough positive features about this college during your search process to override the distance and isolated location, so focus on those things. Like many students, once you’ve tasted the college life and have become engrossed in your studies your thoughts of home will fade more into the background. You certainly won’t forget about all that you left, but those thoughts of home will start to make you smile, not cry. You will make friends in college who will be your friends for life, so embrace every experience while you’re away. Home will always be there :)</p>