I’m only in 10th, but I’m definitely hoping to go away for college. When I talk about my desire to go away for school, how do I make it not sound like I’m badmouthing my town?
It’s easy to discuss wanted to see and experience other places, cultures, or whatever without trashing where you live currently.
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Yeah, I was thinking more,“You think you’re too good for your podunk town?!”
Don’t put anything in trashing your current town/state/region. Solely concentrate on wanting the chance to experience something new.
As adults, we (personally) travel all over and I can’t think of many places I don’t want to see/experience. It doesn’t mean I dislike where I live. It just means I want to see/experience new places/foods/cultures, etc.
Many people, including essentially all in admissions, will understand. For those around you who feel “you think you’re too good for your podunk town,” keep insisting you want to see new things - you’re curious - and then immediately change the subject.
Plus don’t verbally trash your hometown if you have been. You might be wanting to explore, etc, but it doesn’t mean your place is bad, esp for those who have chosen to live there. It means you want something different - at least for now - possibly for life, but you won’t know that until years later. Both views/feelings are fine. Different strokes for different folks. You don’t have to put one down to make the other better.
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@Creekland TOTALLY agree! I was just thinking about how saying “I want to spread my wings and see the world”, might come off to people who couldn’t or didn’t want to.
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I have friends in NYC and Los Angeles with wonderful families. They want to get away from their hometowns too. It’s a natural part of growing up to go explore the world. One day you might find that you miss your hometown. But it’s exciting to see new places and experience different countries and cities.
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@Atomicmomma good to know wanderlust is a universal thing.
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You talk about what you’re moving forward toward, not what you’re leaving behind.
Sometimes, highly effective essays are about what a person is leaving behind. I’ll never forget an essay in the NYT’s annual collection of college essays about money, where the applicant used the image of her family’s kitchen table, and the progression over her lifetime of who was sitting around it, to convey her background.
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I like where I live a lot.
I used to have a job that involved visiting countries all over the world. I only work part time now but I still work with people all over the world and have friends all over the world. It is very valuable and interesting to see the world and it extends our view of the world. Living and visiting other places not only gives you are more accurate understanding of other places, but also gives you a more accurate view of your own country. It also makes a person realize how similar we are to people from almost anywhere else. You can do quite a bit of this over the Internet, but there is still no substitute to being there (for many different versions of “there”).
You do not need to think badly of your hometown to want to see other parts of the world.
I also think that people who work in university admissions see a lot of applications from all over the place. I think that they will understand that many students value the opportunity to branch out.
This does raise the question of how far afield you want to go, and what the finances will be if you do not attend an in-state public school. There are a lot of options to consider.
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I watch a lot of travel shows and want to go experience those places myself. In spite of living in an amazing place!
It’s been said that when you’re stressed, you don’t need a rest but a change.
You could personalize either of those sentiments.
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