<p>smile, for my son, being so far away was where the school was that gave him what he wanted on his “wish list” and was also affordable. Nothing near us matched the criteria and the price. If were willing to pay 15k more each year, then closer schools would have been available.</p>
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<p>I disagree. I have a friend and her child just had extensive medical problems (yes, already, fairly serious and unexpected, but not at all life threatening). Living within an hour of this school was already a HUGE plus (several times over). I do think that this student’s college experience is somewhat different than my kids’ because of this, but I don’t think that this is necessarily a negative.</p>
<p>It is different for every family. We’re successfully navigated far away colleges but we’ve had plenty of friends who either picked up kids after first semester only to enroll them closer to home and plenty who transferred after freshman year and one that had a kid that lasted less than 2 weeks. Sometimes parents just don’t know how the kids will react and kids don’t know how they will react to loss of contact with their high school friends. I would also say any student with issues either physical or mental probably should be close enough to be reached within a short plane ride or drive. For us it’s close to a 24 hour drive or 3 plane flight and we would never have considered allowing the kids to do this unless we were totally convinced it would not be a problem. And, we have navigated a couple hospital stays and a surgery long distance, it’s not difficult if the kid is ready to be independent and the parents are ready to let go. I’m secretly hoping #3 will be alittle closer just because he’s my last and “my baby” but it’s not something I articulate to him because that’s really “all about me.”</p>
<p>I sent my kids pretty far from home, but I do not think it is a matter only of “letting go”. For some parents, it is about that. For others, it is just wanting to be close to the ones you love most when they are hurting (ie: illness that is something more than the common cold). Just like many of those kids would want to visit you, or care for you, you may want to be there for them. YMMV</p>
<p>My son is far away because he’s at a unique school. And although it’s a convenient nonstop or one-stop plane flight, it is not convenient to make last minute or “frivolous” plans. He can’t decide to come home for the weekend, we can’t go visit just because there’s something cool going on, etc. We can’t share birthday dinners (a family tradition). When he forgot something, we had to ship it three-day rather than drive it over. (Of course, that could be an advantage!)</p>
<p>He is independent and able to handle the distance and so are we. But other than going for a specific program or scholarship or opportunity, I don’t see a point in going far away when a similar college is nearby. Once he was accepted EA at a good LAC (and a different good state U) near home, he didn’t see any need to apply to good (or even better) LACs (or State Us) far away. </p>
<p>But being physically close doesn’t have to mean living in each other’s pockets. Even if he had chosen to go to the state U 30 minutes from our house, he would have lived in the dorm and I wouldn’t have expected to see him more than two or three times a semester.</p>
<p>Yes I think for us the “why” is also a consideration. Our far-away boys had very specific reasons why they chose the school they chose. S3 is interesting in engineering and arguably some of the “best” engineering schools are in our region. For some it might be financial, if you are in a high price region your kids may go far away because financially it is a better solution for them. For others it might be cultural with families living and staying close to each other. However you cut it, the decision close or far away is an individual family decision.The two weakest arguments in my opinion are romantic and simply chaffing at the bit. it’s fairly common that the romantic has a high probability of not working out and kids can be a million miles away when they are an hour away.</p>
<p>I have a somewhat different “take” on this. I missed my B’s wedding while I was posted half-a-world away. I wouldn’t have been able to come home even if a relative was seriously ill. One doesn’t always have a choice on location. The family will survive while you’re away.</p>
<p>That said, I agree that there needs to be a solid reason for choosing an inconvenient location with accompanying high travel costs. D#1 chose a school 1400 miles away. But the academic program was a perfect match and the school was twenty minutes from an international airport. Yes there was angst when she got seriously ill one semester. But the school was perfect for her. D#2 choose an OOS public with a very high proportion of out-of-state students … which is what she wanted. It was a five hour drive away. No regrets in either case.</p>
<p>If I reach my goal, I will study about 9 thousands miles away from home. I know I’d be able to visit only once a year, no more. I know that I’d spend Christmas and Easter alone, wouldn’t be able to come whatever occurs, sickness, death, wedding…But still, even if I know I’d miss my family somehow awfully, I also know that those studies would be the best thing that will have ever happened to me.</p>
<p>hmm</p>
<p>well I went to school that was a 14 hr drive…in first years I broke it down into two days and spent the night at the home of freinds of my parents.</p>
<p>later I would do it in one day-with stops.</p>
<p>Airline flights would always need a connection. </p>
<p>I went home only Thanksgving, Christmas, and Spring break.
My parents never came for a football game etc.</p>
<p>I was fine with it–except didn’t like that many students who lived closer went home on weekends–alot of in-state ones…so campus would empty out…</p>
<p>Anyhow–fast forward…our student is a freshman–at a school where it takes 2 planes to get into the state and then a hr ride by vehicle. Will be home for only major breaks. </p>
<p>When considering schools, consider what YOU want from YOUR experience…do you want to be at a school a distance from home yet find that many go home on weekends which isn’t an option for you? Are you happier in an urban or suburban environment?
Size matters. Location matters. Don’t select a great school only to find that it really is in the middle of no where if you really want to head to a museum or out for dinner one night in the city…kwim?</p>
<p>Good luck</p>