While I admire students who found their dream colleges in the DC area, I have a hard time relating to their choice to stay in such a familiar city. 

I am not hating on people who want to live in DC. There are positives in DC. We have a fantastic food scene, ignoring the expensive bill. We have incredible scenery–ignoring the human-sized rats crawling along the side of the wall. And don’t forget the super fast and efficient transportation! If you like constant train delays and an unreliable bus tracker app, that is. If that all sounds appealing DC is the place for you! 

When most people think of Washington DC, they picture the museums, the Capitol, the historic buildings, all of the generic images of DC. What sucks is when you have lived in DC for 17 years, the museums get boring. I can recall being at the National History Museum about 156 times. Great museum. Very repetitive.

The main thing I hate about DC is the bipolar weather. I’ll wake up bright and early at 6:00 am and see that according to the weather app, the temperature for today will be a mere 20 degrees. I pack on 17 layers and cry silent tears as I make my way to the train station. Two hours later, the weather is suddenly 80 degrees and sunny. DC’s weather challenges your wardrobe planning skills and reminds you daily that adaptability is the key to survival in this climatic carnival. 

In all seriousness, DC is a great place to experience. It is a melting pot of culture and community. It has a rich and exciting history many places can’t say they have. I will miss seeing how the city lights up at night and how beautiful the Tidal Basin looks in spring when surrounded by cherry blossoms once I’m off to college.

 A majority of DC seniors have the same mindset as me. It’s not like we completely despise DC; it’s just that many of us have lived in DC our whole lives and want a change of pace. Like any kid from any town they’ve spent 18 years in, we have this urge to escape the same scenery.