Sometimes, the stigma that surrounds Colorado States in state student population isn’t attractive.

I guess that goes for all schools really. We all know the stereotypes: the in-state student who can’t leave his mom, the in-state student with commitment issues, the in-state student too tied up in high school to leave their state. Some of them are true for certain people, but being an in-state student myself, I really can’t see myself at any school other than CSU.

I was supposed to go to Syracuse University when I was initially applying for schools. It was my dream school; the journalism program is amazing, the sports program is outstanding, I had a number of scholarships, and I love New York. However, when it came down to the hard decision of deciding officially between going to Colorado State or Syracuse, I was surprised: I chose CSU with no hesitations.

Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I could have made.

My family was shocked. Why would I, a person so in love with another university, choose to go to a school an hour away from my home in Denver? At first, I thought I had let myself down. I felt like I had chosen the latter for the sole reason that I was scared. Honestly, there was some truth to it: I was scared to leave my city, my friends, my family, my high school and all the memories I had made in Colorado. I was scared to embark on a new journey far away from home.

Now, as a sophomore at CSU, I am so proud of myself for listening to my gut. I am honestly not sure if it would have been the same story if I was an in state student in another state, because Colorado is a little different in terms of quality of life. What I am sure of is the experience that I am having as an in state student, it’s absolutely incredible.

First of all it’s awesome being close to my family. Knowing that I can be home in a flash if anything goes wrong is a great feeling. Knowing I will never have to find the money to travel home for holidays is an even better feeling. Aside from the distance factor, there is a level of comfort that I feel from being in state. Looking at the beautiful mountains every day from the bus window brings me this nostalgic feeling that would be unable to live without if I was in a foreign city.

It took me this long to realize it, but there is nothing wrong with going in state, especially in Colorado. Why would anybody want to leave such a beautiful state? Aside from that, the benefits of living in state are huge. Never feel bad about loving where you are from. I do not think I would enjoy living thousands of miles away from my family, friends and state I love. Fort Collins has brought me more joy than Syracuse, New York ever could. I am not ashamed for staying in my comfort zone by going to CSU. I am not ashamed that I can drive home on the weekends and see my mom. I am not ashamed that I was scared to leave this beautiful state behind, and I am definitely not ashamed to be a Ram.