<p>Based upon your experiences, which transition is more difficult: the northeastern student who goes to the south or midwest to college or the southern or midwestern kid who comes to the northeast for school? I am posing this question, in part, because the prevailing "conventional wisdom" in our local school is that kids who choose to go to college outside of the northeast are much more likely to drop out after a semester or two because of cultural differences.</p>
<p>Interesting question...I know one kid who went to school in FL but will transfer back up north soon..and another who goes to UVA but wants to transfer back to the north.</p>
<p>What are the cultural differences that are so hard for kids from the northeast to accept? Weather too warm in the winter? Inferior clam chowder? Not overcrowded enough?</p>
<p>The similarities between one part of the country and another are far greater than the differences, and any reasonably healthy and flexible young person can handle a move in either direction just fine. If somebody drops out and moves back home it's far more likely to be due to family or personal (boyfriend/girlfriend) issues than cultural differences.</p>
<p>Coureur -- While I agree with what you say, the impression that some high school age students (and their parents) is very different. Sure, weather and food are part of it. But one of the widely stated concerns in my part of NYS about the south is that people wear their religion on their sleeves. The midwest is often perceived as too politically conservative and that it lacks ethnic diversity. </p>
<p>Again, I'm not stating a personal opinion as to whether such impressions are right or wrong, but they do play a factor in many of our high school's students' avoidance of southern and midwestern colleges. As for the west coast, virtually no one thinks of going to school there because of the distance and cost.</p>
<p>But lots of people in the west (including me and many other people at my school) choose to go to school in the east despite the distance and cost.</p>
<p>So you experienced no problems with the transition from WC to EC? Nor did any of your friends? OK, I can buy that. The NE seems to be someplace top students from around the country want to go. But my question was really aimed more at people who have experienced or who know others who have experienced difficulties finding the proper fit outside their regional demographic.</p>
<p>Well the only kid that I remember going to the West coast from my school returned like not even a month later and enrolled into a school over here. He was completely miserable I heard.</p>
<p>I've always sensed that the East Coast avoids the West Coast more than the West Coast avoids the East Coast. Maybe this is because there is simply more to offer on the East Coast. While I've always loved the scenery and the laid-back-ness of the west, the East Coast has more people, more colleges, arguably far more variety.</p>
<p>My older sister goes to Tufts. Her first roomate moved from Iowa. She had a TON of trouble adjusting--too liberal an environment, terrible weather, couldn't find the right church, thought the people were too rude etc. By the end of the first semester she had had enough, packed up her "Bush for President '04" poster and went home to Iowa before even finishing her freshman year. It probably didn't help that my sister (her roomate) was a die-hard liberal. I would assume that it's much harder for somebody like her that comes from the slow-paced conservative Midwestern states to come to the East or West coast than vice versa... although either way it would be tough.</p>
<p>hudsonvalley, I haven't actually gone to college yet, but I'm applying to only east coast schools. I really meant that I think distance isn't really the issue. If there were more top colleges in the west, then more easterns would come west for school. </p>
<p>But I'm not really expecting a culture shock. I can handle cold. Most of the people I talk to are liberal. I am generally a very adaptable person.</p>
<p>According to our HS (a top HS in Phila suburbs), former students are most likely to transfer out of colleges located in the deep south (south carolina, georgia, louisiana, etc). this is according to the person who works in the office that processes transcripts.</p>
<p>courer---it's not the food or weather or other physical elements that many kids from the NE are iffy about, it's more the culture. Political views, religion, diversity, attitudes towards social issues such as abortion and homosexuality, etc.
Of course--it depends on exactly WHERE in these regions you're coming from. A kid from rural Pennsylvania probably wouldn't have a problem going to Tennessee, and someone from Chicago, I'd assume, wouldn't have too much of a problem with moving to Boston for college. But to move from NYC to Iowa or vice versa would be a MAJOR culture shock in terms of diversity, acceptance of religious, political, and societal ideas, etc.</p>
<p>Alamode hit it on the head. It's the reason I applied to no west coast schools.</p>
<p>Sure, if you go somewhere new expecting everyone there to think exactly like you do, you are bound to have some surprises. But it's not like we are talking about moving to Tonga, Saudi Arabia, or Botswana. It's still the USA we're talking about, right? </p>
<p>I grew up an Air Force kid and lived in all regions of the US, and as I said, the similarities are huge and differences are small between them. If the kids go with an open mind and in spirit of good will, they should be able to have a positive experience anywhere in the US.</p>
<p>^^I guess you would be able to tell better from your experiences than I would, but I still stick to what I said previously. </p>
<p>I would never expect everyone around me to have the same beliefs. I'd actually welcome opposing viewpoint--they'd initiate some fantastic discussions.<br>
But oftentimes many NE schools have a liberal majority and many MW schools have a conservative majority, sometimes to the point where the minority might be overwhelmed by the majority to the point of discomfort--or at least, this is what we kids are led to believe. </p>
<p>I mean, even in my little suburban NY niche I have some friends who are completely conservative in their mindset--but they are definitely the minority. I'd imagine the difference would be even greater in more liberal areas of the country such as within Manhattan or on the West coast or wahtever. If you have grown up sharing the ideas of the majority in the region where you were raised, you might find it difficult to adjust to being part of a minority viewpoint. </p>
<p>Perhaps the fact that you moved around so much as a kid and was exposed to so many different ideas at a young age makes the idea of a major transition less feasible, but for someone who has spent their whole lives being taught from a conservative and religious viewpoint, I'd imagine that it would be difficult to go to a school where suddenly so many people disagree with their ideas. </p>
<p>That is not to say that one should just stay within their comfort zone. It'd be beneficial to move to an area where you're ideas aren't as widely accepted--this would teach you to analyze and defend your beliefs instead of just blindly believing in what you are told. However, it's still hard to do so, and dealing with your beliefs being challenged might be a difficult issue for some kids to tackle while also adjusting to college life. </p>
<p>woah that was kind of long.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>That is not to say that one should just stay within their comfort zone. It'd be beneficial to move to an area where you're ideas aren't as widely accepted--this would teach you to analyze and defend your beliefs instead of just blindly believing in what you are told.<<</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Exactly. And college is the perfect time to do this. You're old enough to think and speak for yourself but not so old as to be rigid and inflexible. And college lasts for only four years - long enough to really experience another part of the country but temporary in nature so you don't have to stay there if after graduation if you don't want to. College students who, out of misguided fear, confine themselves solely to the part of the country where they are already most comfortable are short-changing their education.</p>
<p><<but I think that some people just can't handle all that change at once---the culture shock+being away from home+the responsibilities that come with that+the challenges of college academics, can be overwhelming for many of us. </p>
<p>This is my personal reasoning:
I love the type of discussion that cultural differences bring about. However, I want to be on the East Coast and/or near a large metropolis for many reasons such as cost, being close enough to home that I can visit during the holidays without major expenses, etc. More selfishly, I prefer large cities where I can find a variety of museums, historical archives, art galleries, and concerts (including some of my favorite brit indie rock bands that only play in certain parts of the country)--large cities like NYC, Philly, and Boston also have diverse populations. </p>
<p>I'm counting on a diverse campus to get some of that experience. And it is one of the primary reasons why I want to study abroad during college (others include more in depth look into european history and art....and those accents =P)</p>
<p>I feel that I must respond to the numerous references to the lack of "diversity" in the Midwest. The large cities and the smaller college towns of the midwest, particularly those that house large universities, are very diverse communities. In fact, they are far more so than the several small towns in New England that I lived in for 15 years.</p>
<p>The other night my college freshman, home for break, hosted a gathering for some of his high school friends. These are a few of the countries of origin (of either the students themselves or their parents) of the kids at my house on that particular occasion: S. Korea, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Burma (Myanmar), People's Republic of China. Other friends he has seen since he got home are from Nepal, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Romania. The native-born Americans among his friends represent various races and ethnicities if one wishes to go back to grandparents. </p>
<p>My husband and I attended large public universities in the midwest quite some time ago, and even then had friends from all over the world. Cultural diversity in universities and university communities is a non-issue.</p>
<p>Religion may, or may not, be more of a concern. My personal experience is that religion is more important to more people in the midwest than in parts of the east, but within university communities it is not much of an issue. If one chooses to stay and raise a family, then it might become a bit more difficult to find companions who share your every belief--if that is important to you--but I don't think it is a big deal at all for students.</p>
<p>My son, born in New England, transplanted to the Midwest, and now a college student in the South, has no trouble making and keeping friends of every religion, and no religion. Open minds are helpful.</p>
<p>FWIW, when I moved to New England from the Midwest, I was absolutely shocked to discover how provincial and poorly traveled many easterners are. Their sense of geography was truly terrible.</p>
<p>Midmo Wrote:</p>
<p>["when I moved to New England from the Midwest, I was absolutely shocked to discover how provincial and poorly traveled many easterners are."]</p>
<p>New England is a poor representation of "Easterners",lol...it's like CT or RI... In other words, these states are like the "Minnesotas" of the NE,lol... You want to experience the diversity and culture of the Northeast, you need to look at the more populated towns and cities in states like NY, NJ, Penn. and selected cities in other states... like Boston...if you live in CT, RI or NE, I'm sure you'll rip me but I've been to all those places and the vibe is 180 degrees different from NY/NJ ....</p>
<p>Having travelled and stayed in the South (Tx, S.C and FL) and places like MI, AZ and Washington State..i can tell you, compared to NY...everywhere else I've been to except CA is BORING. Maybe it's because I grew up in New York so people that live in those places are accustomed to the slow pace but wow..there's not 1/5 of the variety of interesting places to go or diversity of people, views and cultures to experience. By 9pm, entire towns were shut down...I felt like the lone survivor in a deserted town, in a Zombie movie,lol...</p>
<p>...and the FOOD...wow...talk about HORRIBLE...I can't get a decent slice of pizza, a plate of Penne ala Vodka or edible Chinese food anywhere outside of NY, CA. or Chicago... There were places in the south that didn't even have a clue what a bagel with cream cheese was,lol.. I had to be content with an English Muffin, lol...</p>
<p>Back in the stone age, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I chose to leave my tunnel-vision NJ-NYC metro community for the midwest -- a Big 10 school at that. EVERYONE at home was bewildered; they thought of Michigan as "way out west". Rutgers was about as adventurous as anyone got, if they weren't going to teachers college. I made the choice precisely BECAUSE I wanted to experience a part of the country that was different from what I was familiar with. I went with an open mind and a sense of adventure.</p>
<p>Yes, it was a bit of a culture shock. Couldn't find bagels or delis, the pace was slower, people in some ways friendlier, but at the same time, much less diverse ethnically and ideologically. Went to Lake Michigan for the first time and it wasn't salty, it wasn't the ocean! </p>
<p>I met wonderful people in my four years at Michigan State; I felt I actually got to experience a different perspective that greatly enriched my personal understanding of the variety and diversity that the U.S. contains. I learned a lot and always felt extremely glad that I made that decision, even though I returned to the northeast, I know that those four years living in a different region in this vast country broadened my horizons enormously.</p>