Attention: Support Needed

In anything in life, it's important to have a support system.  Some people find their support in a church group, teachers, coworkers, or even friends.  I am lucky enough to have a family who supports me, even when I'm not exactly sure what I need support for.

I'm at a difficult spot right now, in which I don't know how to deal with the college situation.  Although I love Eastern as an institution and I think it is a wonderful place, I do not think it is where I belong and where I will flourish.  I've been struggling with this from very, very early on this semester, and I was very vocal about it with my family.

At first they all said the same thing, "Jess, you're just homesick."  But I'm not homesick.  Then they said "You have to stay for the whole year."  But if I know I will end up transferring, what's the point in staying two semesters?  So I started doing my research.  I've been looking at schools, grants, and what classes I'm currently taking will transfer to other schools.  I've looked at countless schools in New Jersey, including my county college.  But  I am still not completely sure what the right thing to do is.

So while on the ride home today, my Poppop and I started tossing around the idea of me transferring.  I expected a lecture on how I needed to stay at Eastern because it is an amazing opportunity, and I need to make the best of it, and blah blah blah.  While I agree that being a student at Eastern has been a great opportunity, and I have learned about myself, it took a lot for me to take a step back and admit that this is not the place for me.

Poppop told me that my family would support me whatever I decided to do, as long as I stayed educated about the situation and didn't just blindly make decisions.  He told me that as long as I was in school, my family would be proud of me whether I stayed at Eastern or transferred to county or went somewhere like Rutgers.  That really surprised me.  I've always made my decisions based primarily on the opinions of the people I love.  If he had told me that I need to stay... who knows?  I may just stay for no reason other than the fact that it was what my family wanted.

But back to the point, the fact that whatever I end up deciding, my family will support me, means the absolute world to me.  I know how hard this decision is with the support, I can't imagine having to make it without them.

So, I know you guys are reading this.  I just wanted to say thank you.  Thank you so much for supporting me, even when I'm not completely sure of what the next move I need to make is.  Thank you for always showing me what a real, loving family is and teaching me how to support and love the people close to me.  This isn't going to be easy, but it'll be so much easier with you.