<p>I know its only a decision I can make but I need some advice.</p>
<p>My family is moving to GA(military) in November and the original plan was for me to continue studying at University of Washington in Tacoma. I received a great FA package and will have on campus housing for the upcoming year. This was all my decision. I was always feeling a little uneasy about having my parents 3000+ miles away but I figured it wouldn't be so bad. </p>
<p>Everything was good until a week ago when my parents brought up the whole situation. They wanted to let me know that moving with them was still an option. And their true feelings were that WA wasn't the best place for me to be especially so many miles away. We have no other family up here so I can see their concerns. </p>
<p>Now I am having mixed feelings about whether to move or not. This will be my first time living away from my family so I'm not sure what to expect. Transferring to another university would not hurt as am I in the process of changing majors. I was never happy with my school but I figured things would get better if I didn't have to commute. So does anyone have any advice for me?</p>
<p>I think you need to figure out 1) where you would be transferring to, 2) how far back it would set you in terms of credits earned and time towards degree, and 3) how much it would cost before you can make this decision. I’m assuming you would not be transferring until the spring semester as it’s a little late now to transfer for the fall and your family is not moving until Nov. anyway. </p>
<p>I realize it’s hard to be far away from family, but you may end up living far away anyway after college. If your family is military, you must be used to the idea of generations being separated by the miles. What might help is making a concrete back-up plan if you need emergency contact (i.e. roommate’s or friend’s parents, old family friends who may be in the area), plus an emergency fund for sudden trips.</p>
<p>Yes I’ve been researching colleges down south. I qualify for in state tuition in a few states and I am prepared to be in college 1-2 years longer. I’m just shooting in the dark as far as finding colleges.</p>
<p>Do you like UW? Do you feel comfortable there? Many students move 3000 miles away from their parents to go to college. This is similar, just reversed. I assume you’ll still see them winter and summer breaks.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, that once you are on a plane to come home, you’re on a plane. You’re commute to fly across the country could take a similar amount of time as a drive from your parents new home to a school you choose in the south. This doesn’t discount the feeling of being so far from home, or take into account the cost of the flight, you simply don’t know that you’d be able to get ‘home’ any faster. As school is about to start, you may consider staying in Tacoma this year at least until you find another option. After you make the trip a a couple of times, you may find it’s ‘far’ but doesn’t take that ‘long’.</p>
<p>If you were my child, I would encourage you to stay in Washington and give it a semester.
A semester is only 4 months. Don’t think of it as never seeing your family again or never living with them again. Break it up into small pieces and it may seem not so bad.</p>
<p>The key to me is “I was never happy with my school.” Right there, we need to change that! UW Tacoma doesn’t have the charm or the campus rah-rah of UW Seattle. As I understand it, UW Tacoma is mostly attended by Tacoma residents, so you would be an odd fish by having family far away. </p>
<p>Change schools. Find a place that makes you happy (whether or not that is near or far from where the parents are hanging their hat right now). </p>
<p>We’re big fans of Western Washington University in Bellingham. St. Martin’s in Olympia also has a cozy feel. Check out your Georgia options too. Alas, it is a tough time of year to get something going in time for fall classes, but sometimes there are surprising possibilities (last minute openings to arise all sorts of places). </p>
<p>Don’t stay in Tacoma if you are not happy there. You will like it a lot less when family is not near. </p>
<p>I would encourage you and your family to use the military resources to see if there are any special avenues open to you because you are a military dependent (for instance, there is a Georgia Hope scholarship for Georgia residents. Do you qualify if your parents take up residency in Georgia?). Email and ask the family resources staff at the new base what other families have done and what is available to you near the new base. They should know or be able to find out. </p>
This is a very good point and would cause me to change my advice.</p>
<p>amber -you don’t say how long you have lived in WA. If you truly don’t have any ties to WA, then go east. Also, I am not clear if you are an entering freshman or sophomore.</p>