<p>Hello! I was wondering if any of you would mind sharing your out of state college experiences? I'm only a few months always from being a senior and have been thinking about going out of state. (Of course if money allows it) What's is like?</p>
<p>I am enjoying attending college out-of-state. I have met so many people from all over the country and get to discover the surprises of living in a new city. I go to an out of state private, so almost everyone at my school is also from a different state. I think if money allows you to go out of state it is a great opportunity. You will have the rest of your life to live back in your home state but college is four years for you to try something new. Since many other students are also from elsewhere, it is a bonding experience exploring a new place together.</p>
<p>Save money go to the school that allows you to graduate with the least amount of debt possible. That sets you up the best for life. </p>
<p>If you want to go out-of-state do so when you graduate.</p>
<p>DD1 is OOS next state with a good scholarship in a great flagship state school. 3 hours away by car, great athletics, huge school with all kinds of crazy things to do, the works. Would not change it for anything.</p>
<p>DD2 will likely go OOS as well, except further away (like 12 hour drive). Nothing to it. </p>
<p>I was OOC when I went to school in the US (Out of Continent 
- new politically correct term for international students :D)). Again, nothing to it.</p>
<p>DS1 just finished his freshman year OOS, at a small private about 7 hours away. DS2 will start this fall OOS about 2 1/2 hours away. DS1 loved it! He was the only student from our high school in over 7 years… thought that was great. He met kids from all over the county and the world. He really wasn’t homesick… only came home for Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break. He would be back there this summer if they had the right program. DS2 loves his school but actually wishes it was further away. He’s ready for the independence. He will be the only person in the freshman class from our high school, although there are a few upper classmen from our town. If you are ready to be away from home, then OOS can be a great experience.</p>
<p>Do not make the assumption that staying in state is automatically the lowest cost option. Both my kids are OOS at privates and love it - while saving me money at the same time.</p>
<p>In a state like mine (Texas), you can be a 10-12 hour drive away and still be in state. Lots of kids go to AR, LA, OK, MS, MO, and AL and for some, they’re closer than classmates going IS (ex: Houston/Galveston kids going to Tech in Lubbock are 9 1/2 hours away).</p>
<p>Our D went fairly far away (~20 hours). She’s loved the experience. Sure there are some things she’s sacrificed, but she’s gained a lot too. Her brother will probably wind up choosing someplace closer, but who knows? In today’s economy I would suggest choosing your UG based not only in fit but cost. If the OOS option happens to be cheaper and is a good fit, go for it!</p>
<p>Consider this:</p>
<p>If you go to a state university in your own state, chances are that other people from your high school class will be there with you. So will people from the classes ahead of you and people you have met at ECs or jobs.</p>
<p>So socially, you’re not starting from scratch.</p>
<p>Now consider what it’s like for a person who enrolls in a state university of another state. This out-of-state student is starting from scratch socially, but most of the other people on campus are not.</p>
<p>For some people, this can be a problem.</p>
<p>This situation applies mostly to state schools that draw the majority of their students from within their home state. It’s less of an issue at schools that draw their student body from a larger geographic area. At those schools, almost everyone is starting from scratch, and making new friends is a high priority for everybody.</p>
<p>Our kids both went OOS…one 2 hours drive away, and the other 3000 miles away. Both were very happy with their college choices (so were we parents). Oddly, the one who went 3000 miles from home now wants to remain closer to home, and the one who went 2 hours away lives about 2000 miles away.</p>
<p>Do you have good reasons for staying in-state (great universities, family connections, business or professional connections, bf/gf)?</p>
<p>What is the job market like near the out-of-state schools you’re considering? (a good number of students find a job in the area where they went to college and never return to their home state.) What is the job market in your home state in your field? Which is better?</p>
<p>Have you considered the extra cost/time/logistics of traveling back and forth during breaks/summer? Three of my kids have gone out of state so far, and this is the one thing that bugs me the most–buying airline tickets, paying for shuttles, driving long distance back and forth–this is a significant expense. . .and a pain!</p>
<p>My son went OOS on a National Merit scholarship, and he loved it. Met many students from all over. Studied abroad a couple of times. Finished with a double major, double minor. He also saw Alabama win three BCS titles in four years. If he had stayed in state, he would have had debt. Going out of state, he graduated debt-free. His kid brother is also entertaining going OOS.</p>
<p>OOS can mean a number of things. If you live close enough to a border, you could be a lot closer to some OOS schools than those in state. Also going OOS to private schools often makes little difference as they tend to disregard their borders. Some privates trying for geographic diversity will give a tip to those that do not come from their biggest applicant pools. Some schools can fill their classes easily from within an hour or so radius. So being in state could be a disadvantage for merit money and even admissions chances, if the school is selective enough. </p>
<p>If you go to an OOS school that has a large OOS population, you’ll pretty much be on similar footing with a lot of students in terms of degrees of commonality. Where it can be an issue socially, is if you go to an OOS public or to any school where most of the kids are from in state and you are not. </p>
<p>My son chose to do this, and it was rough going for him freshman year, as he was the only one from his school that went to this particular school, and there were only a handful of kids altogether from the area, none of whom he knew. It seemed like everyone else was less than 2 people away in terms of degrees of separation, and there were a lot of kids from the same high schools, same activities, same areas. I was a bit surprised this son made this choice as he was in the same school environment almost from the get go and he had some very nice choices where he knew a lot of kids. He wanted this change, however. But living it was not always easy. He is not particularly outgoing, and is quiet, so it made for some lonely times. Something to keep in mind when considering this sort of thing. BUt it has widened his social horizons extensively. So there are the trade offs.</p>
<p>He also wanted some things that even our main state universities did not offer and this school did. It costs nearly double for him to go to this OOS public vs any in state school here, but it was by far and away his favorite choice and I am glad he was able to take it.</p>
<p>Use the Net Price Calculators on each school’s site to see what range of costs you can expect. Some will give merit or financial aid while others will not.</p>
<p>I am one of 7 kids. Our folks wanted to offer each of us the opportunity to travel and learn out of state while having as low expenses as possible. We all started at in-state flagship. Five of us participated in a program that allowed us to go to another U for a term or year that was in another state 2500 or more miles away. One sib transferred, so didn’t use that program and one sib didn’t want to go away. All of us went to grad or professional schools on the mainland except for the sib who didn’t want to go away. </p>
<p>We all appreciated graduating debt-free. It was great trying a term or year at a different U. I liked it so much, I worked with FAid so I could stay away and transfer after the year exchange had ended. I got my degree from the OOS flagship.</p>
<p>I am halfway finished at an OOS school. I think it would have been possible to get an education of comparable quality in-state but it would not have been the same experience (in some ways better, in other ways worse). Significant merit aid and a desire to try someplace new were the primary motivating factors behind my decision.</p>
<p>Meeting people has never been a problem and being from OOS is a great conversation starter. I did have experience making new friends because my family moved several times when I was younger.</p>
<p>Thanks for replying I currently live in Chicago, and have been my whole life, and since I was young I’ve been craving a new set of scenery. Of course I will be applying to a few of my state schools, currently I am looking at Knox. While not out of state it is three hours away which would pretty nice A lot of you seen to have had nice experiences which just makes me even more excited to go off to college where ever it may be. I just have to make sure as many of you have mentioned to look at the costs, I live with a single dad who doesn’t earn much and with no college fund I want to choose something I can afford/like.</p>
<p>If finances permit OOS is a good way to start the journey towards independence.I went from Hawaii to Iowa and I have no regrets.</p>
<p>My daughter attends an OOS school about 20 hours away. It’s a private school with students from all over the country, so nearly everyone “starts from scratch” socially. She felt the same way you do: she’s lived in the same place all her life, and wanted to experience a different part of the country and meet people from all over. She’s just finished up her freshman year and she loves it so far!</p>
<p>One of the toughest parts of being far away (for her, at least) is that most of her best HS friends remained in-state and are close enough to plan weekend get-togethers either at home or at each others’ schools. There were times when she was pretty bummed that she couldn’t join them (air fare is just too expensive). She knew that would be a drawback of going far away and she made the decision anyway, but it was still tough at times, especially during her first semester. Now that she’s involved with her new friends and activities at school, it’s not such a big deal… and when she does come home, she sees her old friends 24/7 (literally - she’s been home 2 weeks and I’ve barely seen her!).</p>
<p>Jea828, you have summed it up nicely. It’s a bit tough for my son too, since many of is friends stayed local or close enough to come home more often than he does. That seems to be getting better, and he has now made some friends at his college and is contemplating staying there next summer since he has to pay the full year cost for his off campus apartment anyways. If he can find a job there, he may just do that. </p>
<p>But it was lonely for him that freshman year, since he chose a OOS public and it seemed to him that everyone knew each other and he was odd man out. That was not the case, because there are a sizeable number of OOSers at flagship universities, but he just didn’t know any of them, and there were truly few from our immediate area. It was a big change for him since he was in an environment where he knew kids for a long time. It’s been a good overall experience for him, but it has its rough spots too.</p>
<p>You will learn so much about a different region and its culture if you go out of state, far out. SoCal is so radically different that New England; the South so varied from the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Language, accents, food, social norms, fashions, and politics all can provide you with new options and perspectives.</p>