<p>I have lived in Austin, TX for the past ten years. I am trying to decide between UT Austin honors and Vanderbilt honors and I just cant decide. Someone said that it might be helpful to talk about what city I would like to live in. Does anyone have any experience with going to college in the same town as where you grew up? Did you feel like you missed out on an experience that your friends who when somewhere new had?</p>
<p>. i dont know how good vanderbilt is, but if its a good school compared to UT, I would go to Vanderbilt. the experience of just being independent and away from your parents and family is totally worth it. thats my opinion 
u’ll miss them tho. and u’ll mom will give u hard time, she’ll always want to talk.</p>
<p>You can be independent without moving out of state. Live on campus or in off campus housing but not with your parents. </p>
<p>Your college experience is going to be what you make of it. Being out of the city where you’ve spent the last ten years will not magically change you. It is up to you on which experiences you have and what you make of them.</p>
<p>thank you both very much!</p>
<p>My D was worried about the same thing (although last week she ended up committing to go elsewhere). I told her when I went to UT, I hardly ever went west of Mopac, which is where we live now. There are just too many things to do around campus and on 6th street, etc. </p>
<p>You might consider checking in with your parents to see what their expectations are. If you have extended family in the area, and your parents still think you’ll be showing up for Aunt Mathilda’s birthday party or your little cousin’s soccer game just because you’re in town, you’ll want to set their expectations accordingly. </p>
<p>On the other hand, it could be very nice to have family nearby. A friend of mine whose daughter is in a sorority regularly hosts/houses some of the girls when they come early to plan rush events (or whatever it is they’re planning). And when the a/c or heater at their dorm broke, her daughter and friends had a comfortable place to stay. Another family we know used to host the UT volleyball players (their D was on the team) at their home for dinner on Thanksgiving and I think even on a semi-regular basis, and it made for a lot of fun for everyone. </p>
<p>Definitely don’t live with your parents. And further echoing Fiyero’s comments, your college experience is what you make of it - best of luck!</p>
<p>It’s hard for me to say, because there wasn’t any schools around Dallas I really wanted to attend. Being from Austin would’ve been a completely different story though, usually people are trying to go “to” Austin and not “from” there.</p>
<p>I think if you just explain to your parents that you’ll be in college and need independence that they will understand and not expect you to be home every weekend or anything like that. Afterall, I’m sure they want to see you have the best experience in college possible.</p>
<p>In addition, I can’t tell you how many times I wish I could’ve gone home for just one night for a really good meal or something like that, have some laundry done if I was having a busy week, or if I just wanted a day off from the college cycle.</p>
<p>I think you can still be on your own in Austin, but not be “all alone” and with some opportunites to do the things I listed above.</p>
<p>^Totally agree. Chances of having a homecooked meal in college=zero. Unless you have parents nearby. Also, even though you want your independance it might be sad if you can’t go see them on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas where everyone wants to be with their family.</p>
<p>I agree with the 2 users above. You can still have your freedom, but the comfort at home at the same time. I really wish I lived closer to home for home cooked meals, my own bathroom, and haven from school. You won’t believe how tired you will get from cafeteria food.</p>
<p>A lot of kids stay because UT is such a good school and Austin is such a great town.</p>
<p>But they still spend most of their time around campus. It’s convenient for them to get a home cooked meal every now and then and especially to do laundry for free, but they spend most of their time in a completely different world–the area surrounding UT.</p>
<p>I grew up in Austin, and my dad was even a UT prof, but I loved going to UT. I lived in SRD and never had to see my family unless I wanted to. I enjoyed having lunch with them most Sundays, though!</p>