Is it better to stay close to home or could I go far away?

<p>On ASD spectrum (likely Aspie). A little social anxiety (groupwork and parental communication, as well as sometimes in communicating with peers) and sometimes having to use accommodations when taking tests (though this has been reduced, even though I still need it on SAT IIs and ACT) and a couple hiccups in getting used to transitions, although this has greatly been improved. I live in NY, and am considering colleges all over the East Coast, mostly in the Northeast. Am applying to 2-3 SUNY schools within a 3-hour drive from where I currently live, but am also considering options farther away</p>

<p>Here's where I'm planning on applying in the fall:
SUNY Binghamton
SUNY New Paltz (RD, if I don't get into any of the other SUNY's, since I may need financial aid)
SUNY Stony Brook
University of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Mellon University
Georgia Tech
Boston University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Vanderbilt University (?)
New York University</p>

<p>While some of these colleges are within a 3-hour drive from where I live, others, like Tech and Northwestern are about a 14-hour drive from my home. I don't think it's necessarily bad to go away from home, but my parents and I have talked a couple of times about it. Any advice would be appreciated here.</p>

<p>I am just getting on this forum and happened upon your new post. My daughter has social anxiety and so we are in a similar position as you find yourself (We also live a couple of miles from Northwestern!). In all things, the first task is to make sure you are tuned into your “gut” in all decisions. It sounds like support is underlying your question. So you should make sure the schools you apply to have the emotional support you need on campus and that there will be students with whom you can identify. If you have a counselor, you can continue Skype once you go to school or start now to help with some of this. Consider living near extended family or family friends if you are not going to school close to home. Are you looking forward to being more on your own? Do your parents do too much for you sometimes (I do!)? What would be healthiest for you? Because you have such great schools within a driving commute of home, it sounds like you can have both by staying in the Northeast. Good luck.</p>

<p>BUMP</p>

<p>I personally don’t think it makes much of a difference. I would have suggested you take a college summer course away from home during the summer, but it’s too late now.</p>

<p>Anyways, I think it has to be where you feel comfortable. I know someone with similar things going on who didn’t think they could go away from home. They ended up absolutely loving it.</p>

<p>The worst case scenario I could think of is you trying a school, hating it, having to fly home a few times (turns 14 hour trips into a couple hours), and then transferring out. You won’t know until you try.</p>

<p>College is all about learning to live on your own. It will e tough at first, but I’m sure you can do it.</p>

<p>With a strong social help plan in place at any of those schools, that could help making things feel more comfortable.</p>

<p>Just my opinion but if you need your parents to give you an occasional check you probably ought to stay within a three hour drive. I would hope they check on you two or three weeks after school starts. College is different than high school and you might not get the extra consideration you might have received in high school. Most of the adults here who attended college probably remember at least one freshman in their day that couldn’t cut it and left during the fall. I guess that’s why so many triple rooms become doubles. I remember one of my best friends lost the third member of her triple after about two months of school. The girl never left her room or went to class. I don’t know you so I really don’t have an idea of how much help you need. This was just my opinion as a mother. Good luck in your college search.</p>

<p>Stay closer. I only applied to one school out of state that had very good disability services. I have ASD too (Aspergers, which by the way is no longer a clinical diagnosis, its all ASD now). </p>

<p>bump again</p>

<p>My brother has Asperger’s. He is 4 hours from home and wishes he were closer, though the distance is doable and seems good for him in a way. He had looked at colleges further from home and is very grateful he didn’t go any further than he did. He likes having the option of going home on a weekend or having my parents visit him. </p>