<p>I'm a rising Junior. Currently my dream school is Northwestern. It has the great combination of laid-back students, excellent social life, big ten athletics, and high-quality academics and teachers. I currently plan to apply ED.</p>
<p>It's also happens to be 3 miles from my home.</p>
<p>I have the perfect combo I want in a college and I know the area.</p>
<p>The only thing is.......what if I want to go some place new?</p>
<p>If I got into NU ED, I'm afraid that I'll go around Evanston being bored and not having anything really cool or new to explore.</p>
<p>There are other schools that I like (Upenn, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Michigan, Indiana, and WashU)</p>
<p>I'm just curious, does anyone live near a college that they want to go to?</p>
<p>Do most people want to venture away from home when it comes to college?</p>
<p>I think NU has a great location. Evanston has much more to offer than your typical suburb or college town, plus you have easy access to the city of Chicago. I can't really imagine somebody getting "bored" by Evanston/Chicago... but then again, I guess somebody will always complain about something.</p>
<p>I want to get out of my hometown, not because I'd get bored, just because I'm really interested in going to a huge city like San Francisco (Long Beach is big, but it doesn't have that big-city feel to it).</p>
<p>Most people go to a school in the state where they have lived most of their lives so you are not unusual. And, a good many go to a school within an hour of home. It would be interesting to see stats on this.</p>
<p>first of all...you're a JUNIOR. what are you worried about early decision for? Sure now's a good time to start thinking of colleges that you have some interest in, but a year from now, you will (more than likely) have a completely different mindset on the type of college you want to attend.</p>
<p>I, personally, want to get out of my hometown. But you can make those three miles as far or as close as you want.</p>
<p>Kids change A LOT between their junior and senior years, even between the time they file an application and have to decide which college to attend. Unless you are 100 % sure you want to live 3 miles from your parents (and you can't be at your age because you will mature and change), the apply to a number of schools and give yourself a variety of options the spring of your senior year. Think back to who you were 18 months ago and imagine if all of your decisions would be the same today as they were back then. Leave yourself room to grow.</p>
<p>Yeah, this is exactly how I feel about Georgetown...so awesome, #1 in my intended major (as of now, I'm interested in int'l relations and economics), but so CLOSE!!! I wish I could just push it 300 miles away...then it would be perfect :)</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at Rice this year. We live about 3 miles away! When he was a junior in HS he had no interest in applying there because it was too close to home. We traveled all around the country visiting schools, and he also visited Rice. There were a lot of things he liked about Rice after visiting there and after comparing it to other schools he visited. So he decided to apply there. He ended up getting into Rice as well as 7 other schools (Cornell, JHU, Vandy, CMU, etc.) After comparing the pros and cons of each of the schools he realized that the only con he could think of for Rice was its proximity (which in some instances is also a pro -- cheaper to travel, no delays in getting home for Thanksgiving, milder weather). He's really glad he made the decision to attend Rice -- he's really enjoying himself.</p>
<p>So, keep your options open and in the end compare where you get in and look at the pros and cons of each. You might be surprised when it's time to actually make a decision!</p>
<p>You're welcome. One other thing clinched the deal for my son -- when he visited Rice during the program in the spring for admitted students he stayed on campus for 2 nights. On a Monday night he and 5 Rice students went out to get Vietnamese food downtown at 1 am. Trust me, he doesn't do that in high school! I think that's when it hit him that even though the campus is close to our house it's a whole different experience when he's living there in a college setting. He feels like he's far away and he does things that he hasn't ever done before.</p>
<p>And as for cheaper travel, it's not only for the student. We are definitely saving money on the times that we would have been traveling to take him to school, visiting him on Parent's weekend, etc.</p>
<p>if you live in the area, did you see an article in the Daily Herald yesterday about the increase in commuter students in the Chicago area?</p>
<p>one question I would ask... how ::ahem:: are your parents in your life, meaning will they allow you to have the college experience, including leaving you alone? Part of the advantage of living farther away is that it forces students to grow up quicker. Not that they can't do that if they attend one close to home, but the temptation is greater because it's more convenient.</p>
<p>D2 just started her freshman year this past week 770 miles from home; her roommate's hometown is six miles away from campus. Her mom has already stopped by twice this week. I wonder if this girl will get a chance to struggle with all the issues that freshman usually face when mom can't come take care of it. It takes a parent committed to letting the student make mistakes and fix them themselves for this to work.</p>
<p>We, too, live in the Chicago burbs, and my daughters have several friends who attend Northwestern. Some come home once a term, some call their moms with every little problem. Just something to think about. But who doesn't love Evanston?</p>
<p>Yes, I know I'm just a Junior, but it's not too early to think about where I want to go to college.</p>
<p>Teriwtt- Well I will be away from my parents. They'll be moving to Maryland once I get settled in to the college of my choice. So I will have the independence I need from my family after I move in. I also like Evanston (especially Lou Malnati's).</p>
<p>Because they're moving to Maryland, I'm also looking at schools NEAR there, but not CLOSE to it. Basically Cornell, Brown, Upenn, Dartmouth are the ones I'm my list that are will be within somewhat driving distance from my parents.</p>
<p>well, if they're in Maryland, that changes things dramatically. There's no possibility for a 'pop-in' visit.</p>
<p>I didn't suggest you were interested in commuting, just observing that, according to the article, it's on the rise, meaning more people are choosing to stay close to home.</p>
<p>Blackeyedsusan: I wonder how many kids have done the same as our sons...choosing a non-ivy over an ivy? Judging from these pages, I think it is more a rarity than I would have imagined. Is there anyone else out there who has done likewise?</p>
<p>gabriellah -- I bet it's more than you think, especially for those kids that get merit aid at schools like Wash U, Vanderbilt, USC, Rice, Emory, etc. v. paying full freight at an ivy.</p>