Everything you learn as an out-of-stater at Ohio State

During the first week of school, everyone would always ask “What’s your major” and “What dorm are you in” and my favorite, “Where are you from?”

If I had been from Ohio like a large portion of the student body, I’m sure this answer would not have been special. But I’m not. I’m from a state known for corn, its corrupt politicians, and in my opinion the greatest city on earth. I’m from the Chicago-land area in Illinois. Every time I mentioned this, people were curious, wondering what it was like. Or they felt the need to tell me they’d visited Chicago once and it was great/it had scared them.

The out of state wonder did not diminish as the year drew on, and as I’ve begun packing to return to to my city by the lake (well my suburb outside it) for the next few months, I’ve found myself reflecting on how being an out of state college student has shaped my first year here.

You start saying whatever city you’re closest to is where you’re from

My latest visit to downtown Chicago

I’m not actually from “Chicago,” but being 30 minutes out was close enough to consider it. When explaining to people I was not from Ohio, they often asked where I was from in Illinois, and the harsh reality is no one knows where a little town called Round Lake is. Telling people I’m 15 minutes from Wisconsin is not helpful either. However, if I say Chicago, they know where that is. It may have seemed like a long drive at home,  but here, it’s my next door neighbor.

You gain an appreciation for your home state

Before I came here, Illinois was just where I had lived. Chicago was just a city that I had been to more times than I could count. It was truly nothing special to me. Yet, to the people who found out I was from the infamous city (well city area), it was so cool. “I love Chicago” and “I’ve visited Chicago, it was great!” became extremely common comments. Because it was basically in my backyard, Chicago had never been anything special to me, to them it was though. My home suddenly become a wonder-filled land full of things I had never explored, whenever I go home now, I make a point to seek out what makes Chicago so great, why those students who had never lived there had so much appreciate for it.

Making friends is a lot harder for an “outsider”

Sure, we all struggle a little. But when a majority of the kids here went to the same school or are from the same or neighboring towns, it can be hard to find something to connect on. We may all be students here now, but hometown heritage runs deep. Being from Chicago is not the same as being from Cleveland, and people will let you know that. It’s hard to find anything to connect on, you like different sports teams (this year will be the Cubs’ year!), have different traditions, and even prefer different food (Deep dish versus thin crust anyone?). Being from a different time zone forced me to make new connections, to push to find more in common with others than just where we grew up.

Going home is not an easy task

For most kids here, a weekend home means a two or three hour drive back to their parent’s house. It means leaving Friday and being able to come back late Sunday or even Monday because they live that close. Going home for me meant a 15 dollar Uber fare and a 45 to 60 minute flight back to Chicago, or a six hour drive. It also meant coming back at the crack of dawn on Sunday to make sure I would make it in time for my early classes on Monday. Going home was not as simple as calling my mom to pick me up, it meant packing on my own, finding my own ride, and then navigating the airport by myself. Going home was such a hassle, I more often than not stayed here, as it was easier than the struggle that is trying to get my stuff together after going through airport security.

Your school can be home as well

The view I get while running the trails around campus

This may sound crazy, but it’s 100 percent true. Though Columbus will never be able to rival the lake effect snow or the Sears tower, it doesn’t mean it’s lesser. It has its own merit. Columbus may be smaller, but it’s filled with amazing opportunities. From Short North to German Village to the never ending Olentangy Trail, Columbus is a smaller and cleaner version of the city I grew up in. It may not have the Blackhawks, but I was never one to care for hockey anyway. Columbus is home, and I miss it when I leave.

Nothing will ever replace the feeling of walking along Lake Shore Drive, but nothing Chicago has could ever replace the joy I get from looking out my window at the Shoe. Being out of state has taught me so much, and made me explore more than I ever did at home.

To the lessons I learned and the next three years away from my actual “home” at my second one – Ohio State.