<p>But, going back to what the OP asked:</p>
<p>My S is in process of establishing residency now in a different state. He says rules vary by school and by state. So the obvious answer is check with the school in question rather than a random sampling over an internet site.
But since you asked, his school requires that he have an address, and be self supporting for a yr first before he will be considered in state. My S has even asked we not give him gifts because the school has advised him they may request his record of bank accounts and w-2’s to verify he has earned enough to support himself. He says if his rent adds up to $6000 yr, and he’s documented earned $6000 in that yr, then it would be obvious he has not supported himself. This yr he has been living there and paying oos rates, but fully expects to qualify for in-state starting this Fall</p>
<p>cptofthehouse and others: How does one get a bus from Salisbury to Baltimore? A rep from Salisbury called our house to ask my son if he has any questions about Salisbury.
My son asked how does he get home and the rep said “You need a car.” Then, my son got cold feet about Salisbury. I agree with you that Salisbury is very nice and the new Business school is coming up–a big plus. I just don’t know how my son catches a bus to Baltimore and it was not mentioned at the big open house.</p>
<p>I pmed you. But the thing is, how is your son going to get around in Texas at a community college? I’ve been in Dallas and mass transit is worse than in MD. At least being a Marylander, he will know some kids at Salisbury State; I guarantee you that he will have at least a peripheral acquaintance with many of them. Even if not, those kids with cars often advertise for passengers to Baltimore and other areas to help with the cost. Having a car at college is expensive and college student are always short on money, on the whole. </p>
<p>When my son told me that everyone had cars at his college, I told him, “Good. You won’t have any trouble getting rides.” </p>
<p>It’s not unusual that transportation is not covered at open houses. It’ just isn’t covered a lot of the time. But many non driving kids go to schools that are far from transportation centers. Once there, a note up on the bulletin boards both cyber and physical will likely net a ride. My friend whose son went to U of Ohio had no easy way other than driving to get home, and caught rides for 3 years before getting a car his fourth year and subsidizing his drives home by taking kids without cars. </p>
<p>Salisbury has a number of options. There is the Bayrunner Shuttle service to BWI, You can fly reasonably into Wicomico Airport and just take a cab or shuttles to the college. You can also go Grayhound all the way from Baltimore to Salisbury. Once there, he can participate in the many ride shares. You may learn of families near you with kids there at Salisbury and ask what they are doing for rides during breaks and help your son make learn to make arrangements to share. In Texas, he is going to be all by his lonely as he would be at most out of area schools where few Marylanders will be, especially at community colleges and schools that are primarily commuters and nearly all in state and local kids. That won’t be the case at Salisbury State. Which is a very nice school, by the way.</p>
<p>Oh, and by the way, my boys were very quick and emphatic about needing cars for college. All three of them. None of them has gotten one. And they managed somehow.</p>
<p>I don’t know about the rest of Texas, but as long as you don’t live far out in the suburbs, you can live in Austin without a car. There is really good public transportation with good hours. (It’s pretty amazing, actually.) As with anywhere, grocery shopping is a big challenge.</p>
<p>But sending a kid to Texas from MD is going to be a heck of alot more expensive than sending him instate anywhere. Plus if you want to visit him, it is a pain in the neck and an additional expense for you. Trust me, I know, since all three of my kids who went to college went to schools at least 7 hours away by car. My current college kid is at a school that has no direct flights from the servicing airport to any of the NYC area airports. He had to work real hard to find that one, my husband says. So everytime he or we go there or back, we are talking 2 time zones, airfare and transfers, or getting off at the nearest big city to his college and renting a car to drive the 90 miles to his school. The bus that would take him to that airport takes as long as the flight to NYC and costs more than getting an air ticket that includes that transfer. </p>
<p>The college was not my idea. His choice, and there are things I hate about it as you can probably see. But he loves the school and is thriving there, so at the end of the day, I have to say I’m happy with his choice. But getting there and back is difficult.</p>
<p>I sure hope my son chooses a school within say six hours of home or within an hour of an airport. The combination of flight(s) PLUS a long drive would be aggravating.</p>
<p>I’m lucky, because most of my family still lives in Austin, where DS will be going to school. My parents or sister can pick him up at the airport. My dad is still a UT professor, so he can eat lunch with DS occasionally. DS can store stuff in my parents’ basement. I HAVE told my mother not to do his laundry for him, but I doubt she’ll pay attention. And I love to go “home” to visit, so I’ll be glad to have the excuse to get down there more often.</p>
<p>When my parents visit next week, they’re going to take some of DS’s winter clothes back with them (they don’t have to pay the airline luggage fee since my dad is a frequent flier).</p>
<p>I hadn’t really thought of all the logistics involved with a kid going far away, so I’m thankful he chose Texas!</p>
<p>My son is not going to Community College in TX and made it clear that he does not want to go to our local Community College. He wants a 4 year school, no transferring in between schools. I think we will just end up following the advice on CC to apply to more schools and then just see where the acceptances and cost ends up.</p>
<p>The OP is talking about UT DALLAS…not UT Austin…is that correct OP?? That being the case, what are the public transportation options in Dallas? I’ve been there more than a handful of times and my impression was that it was a “car” sort of town…and very spread out.</p>
<p>If a student attends UT Dallas, I would think s/he would take super shuttle between DFW and campus. On campus, I saw a bus stop at the main road. I don’t know where the bus goes. Also, there is a nice small shopping center with a major grocery store and pleasant restaurants (La Madeleine, etc.) that is a bike ride away from campus. The area is flat and should be able to ride a bike if you want to buy groceries.</p>
<p>Of course, keep UTDallas on the list, if it is attractive to you and your son. See what the deal for state residency for tuition purposed ends up being. Also get some other schools with reasonable costs including your state schools. That way you have a choice at the end of the process.</p>