<p>I have little interest in going far away for college. My family does not have a lot of money, so I could not travel to see a bunch of schools. I did get to see anything basically between the Mississippi and the Rocky mountains that I wanted to see. This is because we regularly road trip and have family so we visit them and such. </p>
<p>I am not terribly interested in living in the freezing cold in the winter. I felt very blah about Minnesota. I really like living in the city too. In other words, I LIKE Texas. </p>
<p>I am applying ED to Rice. I already got in to A&M. I am applying to UT Austin and Austin College. I still plan to visit Trinity, Hendrix, Rhodes, and OU. But really, nothing but Rice seems a good fit for me. Rice has exactly what I want to major in. I love Houston. Of course, Rice is a reach for anyone. I think it is possible, just not a shoo-in.</p>
<p>I am starting to wonder if I should widen my net and look at colleges further away that I already dismissed because of location. I am afraid it won't be worth it and once I get there, I will really regret it. I thought Williams looks amazing (in what I have read and seen in videos, I have never gotten to visit) but worry it is way too far and I would hate the distance. Washington and Lee is much closer, as is Davidson. Neither has my exact major, but most schools don't, so I am going for close enough (Linguistics, but more in the direction of language study). I have thought about Pomona too. I liked Wash U, but, their financial aid is not very good and they should be harder to get in to than Rice anyway. I really think College of William and Mary looks great, but again, financial aid is an issue. And I should qualify at many schools, our EFC is reasonable for us.</p>
<p>The majority of college students go to school in their home state. There’s nothing wrong with it and many things (in state tuition, low travel costs) right with the decision. Go where you will be happy, not where others “think” you should go to school.</p>
<p>I didn’t go very far away, but believe me, there was a world of difference between where I lived and went to school, even though it was only a 2-hour drive. One sister went from New England to Phoenix and never spent another full week at home except for random visits-she’s still there 30 years later. Going far, far away was all she ever wanted. And ANOTHER sister went to college a short drive away and is still friends with some of her former classmates and still doesn’t travel much. So it really depends on the person.</p>
<p>Believe in your own powers of logic and reasoning. Listen to your own gut about where you think you should go. It sounds like you are on the right track, and it’s okay to eliminate some colleges without deeper consideration. In this day and age, choices for almost everything are so vast. Just because all the choices are out there doesn’t mean you have to consider all of them. Good luck on your decision. I love emeraldkity’s reply.</p>
<p>I went far away for college b/c closer schools didn’t offer too much FinAid. It’s not so bad, but I do wish I was closer to home so that I could actually visit during long weekends, etc. And it’s inconvenient if you’re thinking about storage for the summer, summer internships, etc. It’s ultimately up to you and your happiness</p>
<p>edit…not to push you in any direction at all, But if you want to go out and explore other parts of the country, it’s your choice as well.</p>
<p>Also if your family does not have a lot of money, consider that travel can get very expensive. You would be far away from home and possibly not be able to afford going home to visit very often. YOur family would not be able to come visit you either. There is nothing wrong with staying in Texas if you love it there. YOu can always travel later.</p>
<p>Going halfway across the country isn’t for everybody, and you can always change your mind. S1 was a little disappointed about going to college 50 miles away in the town where his grandparents live, but can’t imagine himself anyplace else now. If Rice feels right, go for it!</p>
<p>OP, I think your concern is legitimate in that your “ideal” school is Rice and it’s a reach for everyone. I assume you’re applying to Rice ED and are looking for back up plans in case Rice doesn’t pan out.
So, would you rather attend a school similar to Rice in another State, or stay in Texas even if it’s not Rice but Trinity or Austin or TAMU?
If you’d rather stay in Texas, you’re doing everything right, especially since you’re expanding a little with Hendrix, Rhodes, etc.
If you’d rather find a school “like Rice” even if it’s far away, then you need to look for the schools that “match” what you like at Rice, regardless of location (you can limit it by saying “if I go away, then I want…”: no snow, or snow no more than 3-4 months a year, or only dry heat, or to be near the coasts…)</p>