the ever-popular debate: going far away from home to college

College Search & Selection
41

<p>I love HI & have lived here all my life except when I was away at school. I loved school in Eugene & Davis. My sibblings & parents also love HI & have enjoyed school at various campuses--OR, MA, MI. So much depends on your personal circumstances & those of your family. It IS expensive to buy plane tickets or other means of transportation, but of course it can be done. I flew home only for summer for the 6 years I was away from HI, same as my sibblings. My nieces flew & fly home for just about every break--Thanksgiving, Winter, Spring, & Summer. Projected travel should be budgeted, if it's going to happen.</p>

<p>As has been said, you can have a total college experience near home by living in the dorms & getting involved in campus life, especially if the campus is very different from your home community. Ultimately, this decision, like many others, is one that needs to be decided by you & your family working together.</p>

42

<p>ccgmom - thanks for your post!! very informative and directly related. :)</p>

<p>now if only i could make my parents see the value of distance that's "worth it", even if they think other schools nearby offer "the same thing".</p>

43

<p>I found the information about distance and graduation rates. It is for a large, second-tier, private college in the Northeast. They have the USA divided into 8 "rings" based on distance with the college in the center. There is a sort of "cliff" between 400 and 600 miles distance where the graduation rate for freshmen drops 10-15%. The average SAT scores in each "ring" are roughly the same.</p>

44

<p>They aren't graduating because the leave the school? They don't make it in 4 years? I'd like to hear a bit more on this.</p>

45

<p>hazmat-
They don't graduate within 6 years. They leave the college...drop out. The reason is presumably distance from home. What else could it be? It isn't SAT scores (ability). This is a second-tier college and probably doesn't have the appeal of a top-tier. That might make a difference. There is probably some kind of family cost-benefit analysis going on.</p>

46

<p>Thanks for the explanation. As I have said before I went away at a youthful age and am still far away.....I am a great believer in it so I am biased for the distance. These facts you present are interesting......I guess you are saying that the distance kids drop at a rate of 15% greater than the locals huh? Who knows why that is you'd have to look at other facts and see if there is a commonality. Thanks for the post though.</p>

47

<p>
[quote]
They don't graduate within 6 years. They leave the college...drop out.

[/quote]
Care to share that website? I wouldn't be too sure about the drop out conclusion, if you mean drop out of college entirely. I doubt colleges track former students to know if they graduated elsewhere. Unless the website specifically says they tracked this, what they're announcing is that students several hundred miles from home at a 2nd-tier school are less likely to see it thru to graduation AT THAT SCHOOL.</p>

48

<p>Another thing to consider is the ratio of in-state/out-of-state students. If you go to a state school and are out-of-state, you will find that many of the students stay friends with their high school friends and do not branch out to include students from other places. Also, do not discount homesickness. You may be someone who thinks they will not be homesick at all, but being within a days drive of home may make all the difference in the world. I don't know what students do who can't go home for Thanksgiving, who have parents who can't come for parent's weekend or just go home to sleep in their own bed for a change. College is a much bigger adjustment than many think and I would think 6 hours would be a reasonable cut-off.</p>

49

<p>hazmat-
Well, the results are not simple. In-state students are the "bulls-eye". The freshmen from the first "ring" around the "bullseye" have the same graduation rate as the in-state freshmen. Then, there is only a 1.5% drop in the second "ring". The second ring has Ohio in it, for example. Next, the third "ring" drops by 12%. This "ring" has Illinois in it, for example. This drop-off occurs from about 400 to 600 miles from the college. The fourth "ring" jumps back up by 12% to equal the in-state graduation rate. Puzzling. This group included GA, AL, MS, AR, MO, IA, MN, for example. Then, the fifth "ring" dropped back down to 8% below the instate group. This group included states like FL, LA, ND. The 6th "ring" went way down to 17% below the in-state group. States like TX, AZ, CO, UT. Then, the farthest "ring" increased slightly to 11% below the in-state freshmen. This "ring" contained the west coast states, AK and HI.</p>

<p>difference in grad rate from the in-state freshmen rate:
0. instate grad rate = starting point
1. no difference
2. -1.5%
3. -12% (big drop-off from about 400 to 600 miles)
4. -.5% (rebound)
5. -8%
6. -17%
7. -11%</p>

50

<p>First it makes me wonder about the Financial Aid awards as the student's years on campus increase. It is not unheard of at some schools to up the amount of loans as the student is "captured"....this could be a factor. One would think that they would do something to correct this stat.....not such a good public display for parents looking to send OOS kids.</p>

51

<p>mikemac-
I did not get this info from the web. I got it from someone I know who works at the college. Yes, it is possible that the students who dropped out from this college merely transferred elsewhere.</p>

<p>I wonder if the fluctuations up and down in grad rates reflect differences in the price or convenience of air travel to this city/town.</p>

52

<p>Greenmoon- perhaps you could have your parents look at the postings here to get an idea of why people want to study far away. Sometimes it isn't just to get away, although experiencing a totally new "culture" definitely has its value. Sometimes, it is because the college that isn't as close to home as your parents would like is the right fit for you. Secretly, I wished that the university that was closer to our home was the right fit for our D, but it wasn't. Because we allowed her to spread her wings, she is thriving.</p>

53

<p>I'm in a somewhat odd situation. I'll be going to UCLA next year, which is about 40 miles (though in Los Angeles traffic makes that a 2 hour drive at times) from where I've lived my whole life. However just 2 days after I move in, my family is moving out to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Furthermore I don't really have many friends left in my hometown. So in many ways, even though I'm only moving 40 miles from my hometown, in other ways I'm moving hundreds of miles away from my family.</p>

54

<p>I feel that being in a college environment that was far away (geographically, culturally, climatologically) from where I grew up was incredibly broadening. It wasn't just where I was located, it was the close contact with people from other places, too. </p>

<p>I felt so strongly about that, I was bound and determined that when I became a parent, I would encourage my kids to go to another region for college. Now that I'm a mom, that feels harder. If my son (still a grade schooler, we have a long time to wait yet) wants to go to school here in Michigan or in the Midwest, I'll be fine with it. But I'll hope he goes off for a term or year to another continent for study abroad.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Yes, it is possible that the students who dropped out from this college merely transferred elsewhere.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Not just possible, but probable. I've seen a similar study done by a school in Alabama. They tracked all their disenrollees and many of the ones who had 'dropped out' ended up somewhere else. Some of them had chosen places closer to home.</p>

55

<p>quoting myself from post #49 (regarding the northeastern college at which students who lived in neighboring states had much higher graduation rates than those from distant states)</p>

<p>numbers 0 through 7 represent distance</p>

<p>"difference in grad rate from the in-state freshmen rate:
0. instate grad rate = starting point
1. no difference
2. -1.5%
3. -12% (big drop-off from about 400 to 600 miles)
4. -.5% (rebound)
5. -8%
6. -17%
7. -11%"</p>

<p>I looked at the individual states within each "ring" of distance from the college. Although Indiana and Wisconsin are roughly the same distance away "as the crow flies", Indiana students had a 17% higher graduation rate than Wisconsin students. I wondered why. I think it is because of pesky Lake Michigan which adds 2 hours to the drive time. Are these students trying to drive from Wisconsin? They have to go way out of their way. Indiana is a straight route, Wisconsin is an "L"-shaped route. If they were flying from Milwaukee and Indianapolis, it shouldn't matter.</p>

<p>I now have a theory to explain why there is a significant drop in graduation rate at about 600 miles and then an increase in graduation rate at about 800 miles (for this college). 600 miles is a long drive, 800 miles is a short flight.</p>

<p>Quite a few people who posted on this thread are extolling the benefits of getting far away from home. I think it is all in your head. You have to convince yourself that there are these big advantages after going through the expense and inconvenience of traveliing 1500 miles several times per year. "All the pain must be worth it or else I'd be a fool to do it."</p>

<p>On the other hand, if you lived in Alaska, then you would have to travel to find a good college.</p>

<p>The graduation rate data suggests that some students get tired of the long commute.</p>

56

<p>My daughter had three great colleges on her list that were just too close--for both of us. Swarthmore, Haverford, and UPenn. Unfortunately, they were where her best legacies were, so I made her apply there and promised that if they ended up being her best options, I'd move so that she could have a quality away-from-home experience :)<br>
Even Princeton, which is less than an hour away would have felt too close. The 5 hour drive we have now is just perfect for us. She feels "away" but it's not an unpleasant drive, and easy to do for a weekend visit.</p>

57

<p>
[quote]
Quite a few people who posted on this thread are extolling the benefits of getting far away from home. I think it is all in your head.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>?? All in my head? I know firsthand how much difference I experienced having moved to a different reagion of the country. It was a big change, and I grew from it, and I find that now that I am in yet another place I draw upon my experiences there and my experience as an "outlander."</p>

<p>The travel was not a deterrent. I had to drive two hours to the nearest airport from my home and then take two, sometimes three legs to get to my college town. Yes, that was inconvenient, but not so inconvenient that I have to invent fables about how much I liked college to make it worth it. I didn't do it but 3-4 times a year RT (I spent Thanksgiving with friends some years, also a neat experience). So I couldn't take laundry home, and had to wait for the next break to see my Nephew and Niece after their were born. That was all manageable. I was not the kind of person to let an occasional travel hassle determine (or derail) my college career. I graduated in four years.</p>

<p>When I worked in Admissions, I met a family who came to visit our campus from Fort Worth and the mother could NOT stop talking about how horrible it was to have to change planes to get to us. She said they were used to just getting on ONE plane and getting RIGHT to their destination without such a grand amount of time, hassle, and trouble. It was hard not to laugh, growing up in a place like I did. It was unlikely you'd take one flight to anywhere, and most people drove 2-3 hours just to get jet service. </p>

<p>But maybe this is key to your judgment of how deluded we are. To some people, such travel is a horrible imposition. To others, it isn't such a big deal. Different perspectives. I'm guessing many people who are enthusiastic about colleges in a different region don't find travelling to college a big deal.</p>

58

<p>We encouraged our D to attend the school that was the best fit for her. We were living in SoCAl at the time and she struggled between USC and Penn. After attending an Accepted Students Day at USC she decided she really wanted to attend a school that would challenge her. SO off to Philadelphia she went and has only regretted her decision the first semester, freshman year. Once she adjusted to the culture shock, she was fine...in fact, she's planning on going home with a friend to Virginia over Thanksgiving! SHe would have never had an opportunity like that if she stayed in Calif.</p>

59

<p>I was talking with a student from Florida today (we are in western NY) and asked him how he liked traveling. He said he and his mom drive up in the fall. She leaves his car here for him to use and then she flies back. He drives back by himself in the spring. He said the travel is kind of fun. He is a junior, had trouble getting used to the winters and misses the southern hospitality and charm of the people in Florida. He says people are more "laid back" down south. He says people in the northeast are more "tense". He is a Hotel major. It sounds like he came for the school, not the people. He seemed ok with the long commute.</p>

<p>I think most students who go far for college do so for the school and not for the climate or local culture (although some obviously seek new climate and culture). College itself creates a kind of multicultural experience, though.</p>

60

<p>I'm currently in a similar situation myself. Originally from New York, I just started my freshman year at the University of Wisconsin - roughly 1,000 miles away.</p>

<p>When deciding between colleges - I made my final two choices polar opposites. One being SUNY Stony Brook, which is just about an hour away from my house and the other being Wisconsin - a 4 hour plane ride. The reason behind me deciding which school to go to was the fact that I wasn't quite sure myself of what I wanted - a school close to home or a school far away.</p>

<p>Even after choosing to go to Wisconsin for the overall reason that I felt the college atmosphere as well as academics would be stronger, the one factor that worried me was the distance. I never was away from home for more than a week in my life and wasn't sure if I'd be able to adapt to completely new surrounding and completely new people all on my own. </p>

<p>So far, just under a month into my college career, I have absolutely no regrets and encourage anyone who has the opportunity to go away to college to do so. I've met people from all over the country - something I most likely wouldn't have done at Stony Brook considering it's pretty much entirely New Yorkers. </p>

<p>My philosophy behind choosing to go away was that originally I wanted to go away - to, lets say, a school that was maybe 4-5 hours away, like around Washington DC for example. However, after eliminating schools such as Maryland that I got into and fit that criteria but academically weren't up to par with my other choices, it came down to Wisconsin or Stony Brook. What I figured was even if I did go to a school that fit my original plan, I wouldn't have come home on a weekend basis either - and probably would've come home only on the major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc...) anyway. Now at Wisconsin, it's the same situation. I'm still coming home on the major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas - the only difference being the long flight and the lack of direct flights. So really, at that point in regards to going home it makes no difference, in my opinion, whether you are 6 hours away or 18 hours away - you most likely aren't going to go home on a weekly basis anyway and only on the major holidays.</p>

<p>Between those two situations - one being the school 5-6 hours away or the one 18 hours away - I'd pick the one 18 hours away any time. The people that I've met and experiences the Midwestern lifestyle after spending my entire life in the Northeast is truly an experience, and what better time to have a new experience than in college? I say if you have the chance to get away, go for it -it's college, the perfect opportunity to experience something new. I don't know what I would've done if I picked Stony Brook over Wisconsin. I definitely made the right choice going far away to school over a school that is closer. The experiences you walk away with are invaluable in life and the college experience is one that you will walk away with with a greater feeling of enjoyment.</p>