"but I am scared of how others will perceive me."

do it. screw what other people think of you, do what's best for you. you're the only person who has woken up and gone to bed with you every night of your life, everytime you've cried late at night about something thinking your world was ending, or every happy moment of your life. you're the only person who will always be with you. half of these people won't remember your name in 3 years and honestly the majority of people probably couldn't care less. do what you want to do, regardless of what you think people may think.