A college choice should be special, individual, a perfect fit for you. You’re looking for a school that fits your needs, one with the perfect program for you, a gorgeous campus, and that is just the right distance from home. Everything will fall into place and you’ll find that perfect school just for you.

But then you find out that eight other people from you’re graduating class are going to the same school. ‘What? This is my perfect school! The perfect match for me! Why are you going there?’ What’s the point of going to college when you’re going be living with people from the same town? How are you expected to branch out and expand your horizons when you’re tied down to the same small-town people?

We all want to think that when we get to college we’ll be stable living on our own; but let’s face it; this is the biggest step of our lives. Personally, I know I’m going to be a terrified mess. I’m going to be self-conscious and nervous and freaking out. Who’s going to eat meals with me? Or walk with me to classes? What do I do if my roommate doesn’t like me? It’ll be nice to have some friends from home to buffer those first few days.

Also, sometimes if you’re feeling homesick it’s nice to have a familiar face from home- someone you can reminisce with about the good ole’ days. You can sit and share stories of people you know from back home and not have to explain who it is.

If you stay close with people from home then you can carpool home and save your parents some gas money. Or, if you’re farther away, you can book flights together and have someone to sit with.

And it’s fine if you honestly don’t want to have anything to do with your classmates. Get on Facebook and type in the name of your college and the year your set to graduate. There is most likely a page of kids looking to meet people, just like you. Post a short little bio about yourself and tell people to message you. This is a great way to meet people and find students with similar interests.

So don’t stress about college being a full of high school friends. You probably choose your school based on a specific program that you love, the other people from your school are probably interested in a totally separate degree. College is big and the likelihood of you having a class with a hometown grad is slim. Just enjoy your college experience. If you see a kid from home, give them a friendly nod and move on with your day.