Moving away for school means starting with zero people who know you. It also means zero people who need you to stay the same.

A reputation at home is two things at once. It saves you from explaining yourself every day, and it quietly holds you to the person you were at thirteen. People who have known you a long time are not being unkind when they expect the old version; they simply have no reason to look for a new one. A room with nobody in it who knows you is lonely and open in equal measure.

If you are not moving anywhere, you can still get a smaller dose. Join one thing where nobody has your history and introduce yourself as you are now.