<p>With over half of college students attending schools 100 miles or less from home, the idea of "going away to college" has taken on a decidedly new meaning. While there are definite financial benefits to consider, are students also adequately expanding their horizons and challenging themselves with new experiences by staying close to home? College Confidential's own Sally Rubenstone weighs in on the issue. Please find the full article below... </p>
<p>I think it is valuable to go away far enough that you are not tempted to go home every weekend for a meal, to do laundry and to hangout with HS friends.</p>
<p>I think this is a rather narrow-minded view. I’m not sure how many of these students are actually living at home or at college. However, if you’re living at a college that is less than 100 miles from home, I don’t see any reason why you can’t expand your horizons and challenge yourself with new experiences. It’s really up to the student to make the most of their college experience no matter how near or far from home it’s located.</p>
<p>I agree with Barrons wholeheartedly. I have plenty of reasons for wanting to go far away, but the main reason is I don’t want to have the temptation of home for laundry, food, etc.</p>
<p>I have 3 kids go to schools within 30 miles of home. And they never came home except at end of term. However, the close proximity did allow me and their mum to go see them play their sports, or see them on stage. </p>
<p>So, the kids emersed themselves in their new college lives and environments, but we got to enjoy some good experiences with them - without having to fly to a coast. I call that a win - win, and certainly something to consider when selecting a school.</p>
<p>I live around ~140 mi from home, so perhaps I cross the threshold, but my home visits are limited to school breaks like Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and Spring Break. And it’s been this way for the most part since freshman year (I am a senior now).</p>
<p>However, I did know of kids who chose to go home virtually every single weekend. In fact, I know of someone NOW who all of a sudden this year has decided to go home every weekend; she has not spent a single weekend since fall here on campus.</p>
<p>Imo, it depends more on the student than anything. A student who goes to school across the country who isn’t quite mature enough to be on their own will likely transfer by the end of the year to a school much closer. A student who can adapt and adjust won’t be rushing back home even if they’re a mile away.</p>
<p>My S1 is 50 miles away at my H’s and my alma mater. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done is refuse to let him come home after one weekend away to attend a friend’s going-away party, but I think it sent the right message. He came home from time to time his first semester, and went to our state flagship to visit friends, but now he’s solidly on campus and wouldn’t have it any other way. College is what you make of it. I was a commuter who went Greek as a way of branching out - other commuters I know got involved in student government or religious organizations. I didn’t want my kids to commute, but IMHO, having him 50 miles away is perfect.</p>
<p>This doesn’t talk about health issues or medical problems. We have a niece that required specialized medical equipment in her dorm room and a regular supply of drugs. She went to school about two hours from home so that she could be relatively close to her doctors should she have needed them.</p>
<p>I’m a senior in high school and I’ve applied to a mix of colleges, some across the country and some less than an hour away. I figure that with the internet, even across the country I’ll still Skype with my parents frequently. But if I wind up closer to home, I’m not planning on seeing them every weekend; I’m looking forward to living my own life apart from them. I think that as long as you’re not living at home, it’s all what you make of it, no matter how far or close you are. You can be within driving distance and still choose to have new experiences and not see your parents all the time. But I think if I had been going to college when my parents did, without the internet making it so easy to keep in touch, I probably wouldn’t be considering any schools so far away, because I’d miss my family too much. I spent 8 weeks volunteering in Mexico this past summer, and only had the opportunity to talk to my parents once about halfway through, and that was really hard. I’m thankful that no matter where I go, I’ll still have more contact than that.</p>
<p>Why do the authors think that this is news? Historically, most students have attended college close to home. Going far away has never been the majority experience!</p>
<p>A point that is often overlooked is the high travel costs involved when a child is not a few hours drive away. The added cost isn’t just limited to getting to school in the fall and getting home in May, but also at holidays. Furthermore, if parents come to help with move-in, move out, or other occasions, one trip can mean a few thousand dollars in plane, hotel, car rental, etc. </p>
<p>Even schools that give “great aid,” often do not provide enough to cover a student’s real travel costs and certainly none for the family (not that I expect them to).</p>
<p>I’m sure that if you looked at average miles away from home for college students by SAT ranges, that higher SAT’s would correlate to farther distances. The average student ends up going to close schools more often than not because it’s cheap, and easier to get into (For public schools), whereas students with higher scores get into better schools or get better scholarships.</p>
<p>But like people have said, it depends on the student, family, and situation. There are always those strange circumstances (Like BCeagle said) that keep people from going far, also.</p>
<p>I live in Chicago. The closest school I applied to was UIUC (and only because my parents said I had to apply somewhere in Illinois), the farthest USC. In other words, I have little desire to stay close to home.</p>
<p>I have another niece and a nephew going to college in my area from the west coast. They have three families here (including ours) for support. It’s easier for parents to have their kids far away when there is a support network in place.</p>
<p>As the parent of two sons, with son# 1 attending college 350 miles from home (playing 2 college varsity sports) and a 7hour car ride away (fortunately a 1 hour flight on southwest airline), I am hoping that son #2 will be within a 4 hour car ride, ie. easily doable in one day. So, at least in my case it depends on the sum total of other family members’ activities and distance.</p>
<p>I live at home. I mean, one could argue that this cuts into my new experiences, but it’s also given me so many experiences I wouldn’t have otherwise. I don’t live in the college bubble; I have to learn how to commute all over town and beat traffic (which, if you live in LA, is an actual thing all the time). I have to learn how to budget my time BETTER than my peers, because I have drives bookending my school day. And I can’t just run to my dorm or apartment if I forget something. If I forget something, it’s forgotten. </p>
<p>Maybe I’m not getting the “college experience,” but I can tell you that, based on what my friends seem to have for their “experiences,” I don’t want it. Plus, I think I’m better prepared for the rest of the world. My life isn’t a 24/7 school zone. School is just one of the many activities I have going on at the same time.</p>
<p>I think going far away for college is a great opportunity not only because of the lack of temptation for constant home visits, which definitely contributes to independence, but also because the further away you are the more cultural differences there are likely to be which is invaluable in shaping a balanced perspective, which is supposedly something you are supposed to do in college. Also, those who complain of the extra cost for coming home in all those holidays during the year and parents coming to help move in-this is another chance to grow up and be independent by setting up for yourself and not visiting home all the time, learning to make your own life not just in school but out of it. I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA AND I’M PLANNING TO GO TO SCHOOL IN D,C THAT’S 10,000 MILES AWAY! I know it will be a challenge sometimes, and I probably won’t be able to go home for a year or 2 at a time which is a sacrifice, but I can’t wait! This experience will make me resourceful and independent and expose me to a new culture, I’ll have to learn to adapt. These things will make my college years far more formative I believe. I went on exchange in Year 10 to France so I have already had the experience of being away for an extended period (4 months) which prepared me well, and I can’t explain the personal growth benefit of even that short term in a new place, culture (and language too there), and being without usual friends and family</p>