<p>I'm currently a senior and have already decided that I'd like to go to a local community college for my first year due to some medical/anxiety reasons and the fact that it's cheaper. But I'm really starting to look into where I might want to go after that, and I'm really not sure what I'm looking for. The only college I've visited is the closest one about an hour away, so that's the only campus I really have a feel for. Nothing to really compare it to, except the community college. I thought it would be a good idea to visit several colleges within 4-5 hours from here (there aren't many local options), just to get a feel for some different types of colleges and different areas. Then based on what I learn from those visits, I'd have a better idea of what I might be looking for as far as size, location, etc. </p>
<p>I'd really like to go into community college with a good idea of a few colleges that I might like to transfer to afterward, so that I can take classes that will fulfill the general education requirements instead of taking classes that will just transfer as electives. I've already looked at the general requirements of a couple of colleges and seen that they're pretty different from each other, so I'd really like to have an idea of what to take so that I'm not wasting my time/money.</p>
<p>My mother, though, insists that it's way too early to be visiting colleges as "a lot can change in two years." She thinks that I should wait until fall of next year, when I've already started community college. I can kind of see her point, I guess, not wanting to waste time and money traveling to these places right now. But at the same time I also feel horribly lost when I'm searching for potential options because I really don't know if I'd be more comfortable with a huge school or a smaller school, or even how far away from home I'd be comfortable with going. </p>
<p>What are your opinions on this?</p>