When looking at colleges farther away from home, I’ve heard this saying many times with all different numbers. For those of you in college or who have heard this before, how would you fill in the blank and why?
5 hours drive from home. In terms of time and hassle of flying. If you need really watch your costs, though, flying is still more expensive than driving and a bus, so that wouldn’t hold true.
Actually, it can matter. Travel from the west coast to an east coast college can be draining – especially if there is substantial ground travel at the far end and you have to get to the school by a certain time at the beginning of term to pick up your key. (Yes, I’m looking at you, Dartmouth.) Now, if you mean emotionally, I’d say it depends on your driving tolerance. I’d probably say 3 hours but I’m not a fan of long distance driving. I have a friend who thinks nothing of driving from the Bay Area to LA for the weekend. YMMV.
Once you commit to a plane ride, you can go anywhere, barring lengthy ground travel at either end. And if there are good non-stop flights.