It feels lonely to be far away from everything you grew to know. Leaving home where familiarity feels natural and saying goodbyes to your family and friends, to pursue higher education in a different region is a trade-off many people take. While people have different reasons for moving out of the place they have called home for years, the most common reasons are for good-quality education and affordability of cost of living but at the cost of starting all over again in a different place. There’s a certain warmth in the familiar, a quiet reassurance that no matter how far we stray, there’s a place that still feels like home. But buried within that comfort is the slow, aching truth: we are growing up. Each departure marks another step away from who we used to be, another moment lost to time. And as we change, so do the people we leave behind.T he faces of our friends we knew may turn into strangers. And perhaps the most painful part is knowing that one day, we might return, only to find that home is just a memory, and we no longer belong. A sacrifice to pursue higher education in a different region.

Mindanao State University - Main Campus is famously called the Melting Pot of the South for the reason of having a diverse student and faculty population hailing from different regions in the Philippines mostly coming from the MINSUPALA - Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan, however there are students who comes from Region 10, 11, CARAGA, NCR, and many more. The student life at MSU is somewhat a vibrant yet a challenging experience, shaped by the diversity of its student body and the university’s unique environment. Adjusting to life in the university can be a whirlwind of emotions, both excitement and horror happening all at once.

Choosing to study at Mindanao State University isn’t just about picking a school—it’s a leap of faith. It’s about leaving behind the familiar warmth of home and stepping into a place that, to outsiders, is often misunderstood. Marawi City, the very heart of MSU, carries a name heavy with history, one often tied to conflict, rido, and struggle for those who are not Meranaws like them. For many, that alone is enough to turn away and run for the hills to choose another university. But for those who choose MSU, there is something deeper that calls them here.

Maybe it’s the dream of a future where education isn’t a privilege but a right. MSU, with its free tuition and top-tier programs, offers hope to students who might otherwise never get the chance to pursue higher education. It becomes a lifeline for families who work tirelessly just to send their children to school. For some, it’s not just an option—it’s the only option.

Or maybe it’s the promise of something greater than just academics. The moment you step onto campus, you realize that MSU is more than its location, more than its reputation. It is a place where cultures collide and coexist, where strangers become family in a shared boarding house or a dormitory. In the classrooms, in the dormitories, in the simple act of sharing meals in Maranao-owned eateries, students learn not just from books but from each other. Here, a Meranaw and a Bisaya can sit side by side, exchanging stories of home, discovering that despite their differences, they are more alike than they ever thought with so many commonalities of interest in life and dreams like anime, korean dramas, and the likes.

It is rare to find a university where people from various backgrounds—Meranaw, Bisaya, Ilocano, Tagalog, Tausug, and many more—come together in one space, learning not only from professors but from each other. This exposure shapes students into individuals who are not only academically capable but also socially aware and adaptable.

And yes, there are moments of doubt like everyone else. The first time you hear news of unrest and conflict in a nearby town or street, the first night you spend away from home wondering if you made the right choice. There are nights when the weight of loneliness is almost unbearable—when the voices of your family on the other end of a phone call feel too far away. But then, there are also mornings when the campus is bathed in golden light, when the fog rolls over the hills, and you realize you are part of something bigger.

MSU teaches more than just lessons from a syllabus but also life lessons that you can carry in life. It teaches resilience—the kind that comes from knowing you are standing in a place that has seen struggle so many times but continues to rise; the reason why MSUans are called survivors. It teaches courage—the kind that allows you to walk forward despite fear, despite uncertainty. And it teaches love—the kind that forms between people who started as strangers but end up carrying each other through the hardest days.

One day, when we look back, we won’t just remember the challenges and doubts. We’ll remember the nights spent cramming for exams with friends who became family. We’ll remember the way the air smelled after the rain, the sound of laughter echoing through the annex and covered walks, the feeling of finally belonging somewhere new. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll realize that in choosing MSU, we didn’t just find a school.

We found a home.

References:

https://www.4icu.org/reviews/3686.htm

https://www.msumain.edu.ph/our-founding-purpose/

https://www.msumain.edu.ph/university-life/

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/more-articles/msu-a-city-within-a-city