<p>I'm currently trying to decide if I want to go to a college near to home or far away. The major decision right now is whether or not to go out of state. I was wonder what your opinions are about going to college far away from home? What are the pros/cons? Do you think it's harder or easier? And the responsibilities with such a decision? What are things to consider when choosing to go away from home?</p>
<p>I would really appreciate all responses and advice you guys could give! Thanks!</p>
<p>For public schools, in-state will usually be less expensive, and usually with better financial aid and scholarships*. There may be some discounted out-of-state tuition arrangements between neighboring states or those in a general region (e.g. Minnesota - Wisconsin, Western Undergraduate Exchange).</p>
<p>*Yes, there are some exceptions. Residents of states like Pennsylvania, where the in-state prices are high and the in-state financial aid is poor, may be more likely to find lower costs elsewhere, even at some out-of-state public universities, than residents of states with lower in-state prices and/or better in-state financial aid. But students looking at out-of-state public schools should remember that, with two exceptions (UVA and UNC-CH), they give insufficient or no financial aid to out-of-state students.</p>
<p>1st is money. If your state has a top tier school (like a berkeley, a michigan, unc-ch, etc.) i don’t think the cost os going out of state is worth it. </p>
<p>2nd going out of state has a few cons. </p>
<p>Cultural, this can be minimized by staying in the same geographic region. you might notice different attitudes and beliefs if you travel from the south to the midwest or east coast to west coast, for some people it is hard dealing with the culture shock. </p>
<p>Friends, along the last lines, it may be more difficult making friends or alternately keeping friends after graduate. If you are from NY, goto college in CA, then move back to NY after graduation, instead of having a NY cliche of college friends from your east coast school, all your friends are still in CA. </p>
<p>Note that how meaningful “out of state” is may depend on what state you are in. Someone in CT may find several states within driving distance, and be familiar with the cultural aspects of those nearby states. Someone in HI might find it less convenient to visit other states, while someone in CA may find a multitude of regional cultural differences without leaving the state.</p>
<p>IMHO
If were I, I’d rather be out of state, far away from the home region. The reasons being:</p>
<ol>
<li> In today’s society, even if you work close to home, you will need to face people from different culture and nationality. College is a place for you not only to learn academically, but also to learn how to get along with people.</li>
<li>When you live too close to home, you will rely too much from your parents. Problem solving is also a part of your adult education.</li>
</ol>
<p>My daughter is not just out-of-state, but across the country. She had lived in our home state all her life, and wanted to experience a different part of the country, meet different people, all that good stuff. She’s been very happy with her decision. But there are definitely pros and cons. Besides the points that have already been made (such as cost), here are a couple smaller, but nonetheless important, things to consider:</p>
<p>The cost and convenience of travel between home and school can be a bigger deal than you think. You’ll probably be making several trips back and forth every year: in the fall before school starts; Thanksgiving; winter break; spring break; and home again for the summer. Not to mention random occasions such as weddings or family events that you’ll want to go home for. If you’re far away, that can amount to a lot of money in air fare. Even if cost isn’t an issue, convenience can be, especially if you aren’t very close to a major airport. There have been a few times my daughter wanted to come home but could not find a flight that would work with her schedule.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider: if most of your high school friends are staying in-state or close to home, they may see a lot of each other, even if they’re at different schools. They’ll get together during weekend visits home, or maybe road trip to each other’s colleges. If you’re far away and can’t join them, that can be a real bummer… especially freshman year when everyone is homesick and missing their friends. Of course, you’ll eventually make new friends and it won’t be that big of a deal, so this is definitely no reason to NOT go out of state. But it is something to expect and prepare yourself for, especially if you have a very close group of friends. </p>
<p>Living in a college community is a very easy way to experience a different part of the country. But it can cost too much and you will be home less. If you are independent, not a problem. It is easy to stay intouch online.</p>
<p>With respect to costs of public in-state v. private IS/OOS schools, much depends on your qualifications and your family’s financial circumstances. If your qualifications are strong enough to be competitive for the 50-60 selective schools that claim to meet full need, AND if your family income is less than about ~$120K (with average assets for your income level), then some of those private colleges may be cheaper for you (after aid) than your in-state public flagship. In that case, it may be to your advantage to shop the national market for top schools. Otherwise, an in-state public school will tend to be cheaper than private schools. An in-state public school usually will be cheaper than OOS public schools (unless merit aid comes into play). </p>
<p>Private “national” universities and LACs typically draw only about 25%-40% of their student bodies from the local state or surrounding states. State schools typically draw more like 60% - 90% of students from the home state. At some state schools, a plurality may come from just a few surrounding counties. So, with respect to geographic origins, private “national” institutions generally are more diverse. They also tend to be less oriented toward providing specialized pre-professional training for the regional economy. So they often have smaller percentages of students majoring in fields like engineering, business, and nursing (compared to state flagships and directional universities) and more in liberal arts. </p>