<p>as the weeks dwindle down and i have to make my final decision about college, i meet the question that a lot of other teens have to make - do i stay near home or go out of state?</p>
<p>in addition, i'm an only child, which i think makes things about 10x harder.</p>
<p>any input on this? :)</p>
<p>that would make it so much EASIER for me.</p>
<p>No extra child to split college funds with? Peace, y’all! I’m heading OOS.</p>
<p>Speak with your parents honestly about how important they are to you. Then examine and weigh that against the importance of your education/degree plan. Give it all thought. This isn’t something that should be resolved o n an online forum, but rather with a heart to heart between yourself and your parents.</p>
<p>oh, i know 
thank you though… i was looking for some input from hopefully some people in my position or who were once in my position</p>
<p>wellllllllll</p>
<p>in your spot i decided to go out of state … i didn’t end up all that far from home, but that was more because of the school involved than proximity to home.</p>
<p>go to the school you want to be at … regardless of how close it is to home.</p>
<p>You are an adult now. You have no obligation to stay home and pretend to be your parent’s child anymore. Make decisions for yourself, not them. It doesn’t do them any good for you to be unhappy try to please them. They may think it does, but ultimately it will just damage your relationship with them.</p>
<p>I too am an only child soon heading off to college :o. But whether to go instate or out is the least of my decision making concerns lol. I would love to just get out truthfully…I’d like to see what else is out there.</p>
<p>go… NOW</p>
<p>I went to a school about an hour and a half away as opposed to the one that was 20 minutes away. It’s a better school, and I’m happy here. I went through the same thing when I was trying to decide, though. I’m an only child, too, but decided that I couldn’t stay close to home and go to a sucky school just to keep my mom from missing me.</p>
<p>I’m much happier than I would’ve been if I’d stayed at home and commuted. Go to whichever school you like the most. You’ll hate yourself if you go to a school close to home that you don’t like as well, end up being miserable there, and can’t get out of it for at least a while.</p>
<p>I went out of state, although it ended up cheaper than my in-state public due to scholarships. My parents were pretty over-protective so it was really nice to get a lot more freedom/independence (although if you are over an hour and a half away your parents won’t be visiting/demanding you come home for weekends that often probably). Also, no one went to my out-of-state so it was nice not to have my shy/antisocial reputation follow me and that same little group of friends trap me from meeting other people.</p>
<p>Your choice though; your situation may be different than mine.</p>
<p>If you don’t mind a parent’s input–</p>
<p>My daughter is also an only child. Her nearest college is a 3-hour drive from home, the farthest is on the other side of the country. No matter where she goes, she won’t be home with us anymore. We only have one college in town, and she has never been interested in going there, partly because she’d be living at home. She wants to spread her wings and try life on her own, and I can’t blame her for that at all. I felt exactly the same.</p>
<p>I have mixed feelings about her leaving. She and I are close, and have spent alot of time together for 18 years, so it’s going to leave a big hole in my schedule and my life when she leaves. I’m sure I will cry, I’m sure I will be lonely, and I’m sure I will say a thousand times, “It’s so quiet around here now.”</p>
<p>On the other hand, I’m going to be able to pick up some hobbies that I’ve dropped simply because I’ve been so focused on her. I won’t be spending 4 evenings a week driving her back and forth to her extracurricular. I plan on taking a few courses at the local community college, just for the fun of it. My husband and I will be husband and wife again, instead of primarily mom & dad. My schedule and my world won’t be revolving around her anymore. I’m kind of looking forward to it, to be honest.</p>
<p>Plus, the whole point of the last 18 years was to prepare her to leave. For the most part, I think we’ve done a pretty good job. What would be the point of hanging on now? I’m excited to see how she does.</p>
<p>In the end, it’s your life and it’s your choice (finances permitting), not theirs. Would your parents really want you to deny your dream, just to keep them company? I sure wouldn’t.</p>
<p>I went to a college 20 minutes away from home.</p>
<p>Just like this mom said above, regardless of whether you go 20 minutes or 2 hours…you’re still not going to be at home. If your mom has any semblance of her own life, she won’t be dropping in on you constantly, and she’ll rediscover things that she missed when raising you.</p>
<p>You can grow and change just as much 20 minutes away from home as you can 2 hours away. I have to say…it was great making the transition so close to home. When I got sick freshman year, my mom came to bring me care packages and make sure I was okay I was able to go home some weekends when I wanted to see my parents. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t grow up. I grew up SO MUCH in the last couple of years. And when it was time to move across the country to go to graduate school, I felt like it was time spread my wings even further, and now I live almost 900 miles away from my immediate family.</p>
<p>Go to the college that you like the best, regardless of whether it’s the close one or the further one.</p>
<p>The fact that you are an only child should have nothing whatsoever to do with your college decisions. the only way I could see that ever mattering is if you come from a family of 7 siblings or something, and need to be considerate about costs.</p>
<p>you guys are awesome…especially LasMa … glad to get input from a parent too!</p>