APO’s advantages to out of state students

Going out of your home state for college to a place where you are unfamiliar with the people, the area, and the culture is much more difficult than one would think. I personally had trouble with this moving from Northern Illinois to Eastern Kentucky, and although I prepared for homesickness, I did not prepare for these other difficulties that no one thinks to mention. I spent my first two years of college going to class, studying, hanging out with the few people I knew in my major, and sitting alone in my room when the campus was empty for the weekends. In my junior year, a friend in my major talked with me about APO. I was initially not interested in joining, but she invited me to an event on the weekend and it made me realize how little I had made of my college experience thus far. I had a great time, and after I joined, I felt more fulfilled and productive than every before in my college career. I also got so much more connected with the community. I did not know my way around and had barely left campus except for the store. Now, I am more familiar with the community in Richmond and I love interacting with them. I believe joining APO is an awesome experience for out of state students, and adding that into our rush strategies would be very rewarding.

Brother Anna McCoy #323