<p>mellacavera, at most schools, especially those with large in-state populations, it’s very easy to get a ride from your campus to your home city. There is usually a “rides board” where kids with cars or kids who need rides can hook up with one another for trips home. Generally the “rider” helps pay for gas.</p>
<p>I agree with others that you should keep this option open. OSU is an awesome school, and if you do well there you will be able to get into the best graduate programs in the nation. That’s not necessarily true of DeVry or Cleveland State. Also, just because it’s big doesn’t mean you will be overwhelmed. Going to a large university is like living in a city–just as, if you were living in Manhatten, you wouldn’t know or interact with the entire population, but only with the people in your workplace or apartment building, likewise, if you go to OSU, you will make your friends in your dorm, your major, the clubs you join. Also, don’t underestimate how much your attitudes might change by this time next year: what seems intimidating to a 17-year-old might seem exciting to an 18-year-old.</p>