I am truEMU, and very proud of it

To be one hundred percent honest, when I was in high school I loathed the idea of going to Eastern Michigan University. I hated the idea of commuting. And I thought the campus was ghetto since it was Ypsilanti {I was a very close-minded teen}. I wanted to be like everyone else in my graduating class and go to Michigan State. I thought it would be the coolest thing in the world to have a roommate, and go to a huge school. But MSU just wasn't in the cards for me. For one, tuition and room/board is ridiculously expensive. And two, I kinda forgot how much I don't get along with girls when I was thinking about having a roommate. As much as my senior in high school self wanted to believe MSU was the perfect school for me, I knew in my heart it wasn't.

Sure, I could have gone to MSU and ended school with thousands in debt, but I chose to go to Eastern and get academic scholarships, a place in the honors college,  and save $10,000 a year by living at home. As much as it sucked to not live up to those senior-year college life fantasies,  I am actually so glad I didn't go to MSU.

Sure my college experience isn't typical, I live at home for starters. But I am surprisingly okay with that. For one, I know I would have gone crazy living with another person after about 3 days, and I get way better food and a comfier bed. Plus, by staying at home while in school, I hope to have enough money saved that I can move out when I graduate and not have to move back in because I can't afford to live on my own{wishful thinking, I know}.

In all honesty, the drive to school sucks, especially since I have to wake up an hour earlier than I would need to if I lived on campus. But I have gained a new appreciation for morning radio. And my afternoon drives home give me my {very treasured} alone time. It's a nice opportunity to think without distractions from my parents, I am able to just listen to music and day-dream.

I think my favorite part about Eastern is my actual education though. Every single one of my classes has less than 80 people {most are 30 or less, except for one lecture}, and all of my honors classes are 20 or less. To some people this would be torture since you can't really skip without being noticed, but for me it is great. It's nice to go to a school where my professors actually know my name and care about me as a person.

As I have been writing about this I have realized how much going to school has made me grow up. I was such a dramatic, angst ridden teen to be honest {even though I am still 18, I feel much more mature from being 17...don't judge}. Sure I don't have the independence of living on my own by going to EMU. But knowing that I am saving alot of money, while still getting my dream degree {Early childhood education and elementary education double major, in four years!} makes me feel like such a grownup.

Now with one {and a half!} semesters under my belt, I can officially say I am actually 100% happy with a decision