From Fruit City to Veggie Town: Leaving the Big Apple for Bean Town

By: Sophia Falbo

When you graduate high school, the only emotion you have about heading off to college is excitement—a new atmosphere, a new group of friends, and a sense of freedom that you’ve never experienced before. The actual nerves and fear don’t start to settle in until you're away from home. I’ve only lived in Brooklyn, in the same house my whole life. Leaving that comfort and familiarity was definitely a bit challenging. It was hard for me to grapple being further than 20 minutes away from New York City. Growing up, my family and I regularly visited Manhattan to see Broadway musicals, boutique shopping in SoHo, trying new restaurants, and even for my weekly dance training. Departing from all that, and the “City that Never Sleeps,” made me feel both thrilled to experience the city of Boston and temporarily sad that I wouldn’t be such a short distance from NYC anymore. But no matter where you came from before moving to Boston, it can definitely be a struggle to leave your hometown and move to a new place alone.

When choosing a college, if you grew up in a city, most of you will probably crave that city environment for the next four years of college. Not only because it’s something you’ve become accustomed to at home, but because you don’t want to limit yourself to the school you attend. For city kids, it’s important to spend some of your free time touring your new city. In a city like Boston, there’s so much to do in your downtime: from restaurants to nail salons to even walking the Public Garden.

Leaving home is a big transition for anyone, and can be quite overwhelming and stressful at first. Looking back to move-in day as we now approach the one-month-mark of being in college, there’s so much independence and life lessons we have already gained in such a short amount of time. Whether it’s your first time doing your laundry or filling up your dorm’s Brita, those small lessons act as baby steps to a lot of the maturing and growing up that will transform us into adults by the time we leave Boston University. As it starts getting darker outside earlier, and the weather gets colder, most of us will go through a phase when we feel homesick. We miss our family, our friends, our own showers, and just the normalcy of the life we used to live before coming to college. It definitely can get tough battling that homesick feeling on top of all the schoolwork and clubs we are involved in, but the most important thing to do is remember why you are here. Think about how much Boston University can help launch you into your future career path, and look on the bright side of things: you could be in a college in the middle of nowhere. For us, we are more than lucky to be going to a school right in the heart of the city of Boston with so much at our fingertips. Distracting ourselves by exploring the city can definitely help cope with that homesick feeling, although every now and then it can be vital to take some time and reflect on your emotions. That restful time can aid in getting past the homesick period so you can start enjoying college life!

Since moving to Boston from NYC, I’ve traded in St. Mark’s Place for Commonwealth Avenue, Fifth Avenue for Newbury Street, and Yankee Stadium for Fenway Park (sorry all Red Sox fans)! In the short amount of time I’ve been living in Boston, I feel confident in already being able to call it a second home. Whatever city, or rural area, you come from, it can be hard at first to appreciate Boston when you’re still holding on to your “old” life at home. That part of you will never disappear, but start spending time exploring your identity and the person you want to become at college. Continue to explore, find the best little hole-in-the-wall coffee shops with friends, and study in your dorms with a beautiful window view of the city of Boston (if you’re lucky)!