My Saturday mornings at home were filled with barking dogs, squabbling sisters and clanging dishes. I loved such chaos.

Yet, when I came to college, I was elated to live life on a different schedule.

During my first weekend as a college student, I was shocked to find that many of my peers did not share this sentiment. Rather than noisy and lively, I found that those first few weekends at UCLA could sometimes be sparsely populated, with many students staying home until Monday.

Nearly 80% of UCLA undergraduate students are California residents, and about 25% of first-year enrollees hail from Los Angeles County. Since the 2000s, many college students have made going home a part of their weekly routine.

However, students who cannot or choose not to go home often have a different college experience.

Thus, local students new to UCLA must make an effort to stay on campus as much as possible. This allows students to gain independence and agency, which they may not achieve through spending time primarily at home.

Keya Tanna, a rising fourth-year psychology student and USAC’s international student representative, must travel 16 hours by plane to see her family in Dubai. Nonetheless, Tanna said being separated from her family has allowed her to make powerful connections at UCLA.

“As international students, we build families of our own,” Tanna said. “We have friends who kind of have to be very reliable in case something happens since our family can’t be there.”

Tanna added that living at school allows students to build new memories and explore new places.

This is vital because both of these features can help contribute to personal development. The World Happiness Report finds that building new memories through social connections in the early weeks of school can lead to greater levels of happiness in college.

According to health psychologist Ravi Gill, exploring new places helps people step out of their comfort zone and can contribute to a growth mindset and increased empathy.

Tanna said that it is important to make the most of being away from home and living in a different environment.

Nandani Patel, a recent UCLA psychobiology graduate and a second-year New Student Advisor, shares this perspective. She said students are in danger of missing out on the college experience when they go home.

“I really would encourage people to stay not only on the Hill but stay on the weekend,” Patel said. “When you’re going home every weekend, you do miss out on those big, important things.”

Students who still make efforts to go home should do so mindfully to ensure that they can simultaneously experience the social and emotional benefits that college offers.

As a student who frequently visits home, rising second-year psychobiology student Siya Bhardwaj said that she organizes her time at school to ensure she gets the full college experience.

“I’ve learned to make the most of my time on campus,” Bhardwaj said. “I think I’m super efficient. I go to office hours a ton when I’m here. I make the most of my time at school so that, when I go home and I’m away from school, I can kind of relax more.”

Bhardwaj said a balanced and conscious approach to going home can be effective.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone, however, can also be a path to growth.

“The more uncomfortable you are, the more things you’re going to find out and the more things you’re going to realize you appreciate,” Patel said.

Living on a college campus is a singular experience. It is a rare opportunity to be wholly surrounded by peers with a common drive for education.

Holding onto the comforts of home can be tempting. However, there is so much potential to grow and evolve individually at school. That development cannot happen in the same way when time is split 50-50 between living at home and school.

I love waking up on Saturday mornings at UCLA. I rise to the chirping of birds, whistles blowing from Sunset Canyon Recreation Center and Westwood sunlight streaming through the window.

I leave my dorm to stroll along Westwood Boulevard and have gelato at Cafe 1919. Maybe I will take the bus to Santa Monica or take a quiet day to study in Powell Library.

UCLA is a lovely school in a lovelier region, and having the freedom to explore it on my own timeline is absolutely wonderful.

I would not have it any other way, and I hope that the incoming class of students can appreciate the wonders of campus life in the way that I have.