<p>Okay, so I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I've lived with my great aunt and uncle (73 and 79 respectively) for the past five years, and I'm in my senior year of high school. This summer, I went to Japan for six weeks (very far, I know) and got incredibly homesick the whole time. Applying to colleges, some in state and some the next state over. We literally one block away from the state college, which isn't very prestigious but is cheap and has a great nursing program (I want to go for nursing). Then, there are the schools out of state, which are much more prestigious, and I could still get a lot of financial aid and scholarships.</p>
<p>I have been volunteering at the local hospital for 2-ish years now and I absolutely LOVE it there, many times I feel like I don't want to go home, the atmosphere is just awesome. I do transport and the info desk, so I interact with a ton of people and a lot of people there know me by name. My goal is to go for nursing, then become a nurse practitioner, and it would be my dream to work at this hospital, which I think I have a pretty good shoot at because I'm building so many connections there and people respect my work ethic.</p>
<p>I guess what I'm asking is, would it be a bad decision to go to the state school down the street and either live at home or on campus (with frequent visits home)? Or should I bite the bullet and go to an out of state school and make new connections? People in my family always say the local school is below me and that I would get bored, but they have an honors program and it would kill me to be far from my aunt, even if it were just an hour away.</p>
<p>I'm going to apply to both instate and out of state schools, but what do you think?</p>
<p>“and it would be my dream to work at this hospital, which I think I have a pretty good shoot at because I’m building so many connections there and people respect my work ethic.” </p>
<p>How strong is the nursing school? How many students pass the licensing exam? How many go on to advanced training?</p>
<p>If this school is good enough, get the first degree cheaply. Then apply elsewhere for the master’s you’ll need to be a nurse practitioner. You’ll be more marketable for a job in the local hospital if you’ve studied and worked elsewhere.</p>
<p>If the college has the program you want at a price you can afford, and you can continue to make contacts at the hospital you’d like to work in, I don’t see any advantages to going away. Are these family members who say the college is beneath you writing a check to pay for your college education? If not, their opinion doesn’t really matter. What are your great aunt & uncle saying?</p>
<p>I know that I should just disregard what others say, but I’m worried that there right and that I’ll regret my decision. They support me in wherever I go, they would love to have me stay close to home and they would be fine with me going away (“Not too far!” my great aunt always jokes). I’m pretty much inseparable from my great aunt, and would hate to not be able to see her at a moment’s notice. But then I worry that I wouldn’t have as full a college experience without a higher caliber of classes, or that I’ll feel like all the hard work in high school was for nothing.</p>
<p>Although I hope you don’t go through a family situation in the near future, you should consider some other factors that could change your life around.</p>
<p>Not knowing the schools in the mix it is hard to give an opinion, but in general I’d say that this is a personal decision. If the local school has a program you like at a price you can afford and you are comfortable staying close to home then it is a good option. Why don’t you apply to the honors program at that school as well as some other places that are a comfortable distance away and see how things play out. In any event it sounds to me like you would be happiest being within a couple of hours of home. You don’t need to make a decision now. </p>
<p>Everyone, thank you SO MUCH for replying and giving me valuable input. It’s still early, so I’m going to apply to the honors program at the local school, and apply to the rest. I still have until May to even make a decision. I feel a lot better now about staying close to home, thanks so much! :)</p>
<p>I agree…don’t make the decision now. Apply to the close school, apply to others…see which ones you get into and which ones you can afford. If you can afford to live on campus, do so.</p>
<p>I second the not needing to decide right now. Apply first and see what happens. What type of schools are you referring to? Are most of the students commuters? It sounds to me like your heart is definitely leaning towards staying close, you already have connections you can sustain, and it will be cheaper (both in room and board and because it is a public school) If the nursing program is good, I doubt the overall prestigousness of the school will matter.</p>
<p>Sometimes having someone knowing you for a long time is better because they will be able to speak highly of you from experience. But what types of connections are you looking for? Social? Academic? Job related? It is sometimes good to spread your wings and try new things, but it is good that you have close familial ties.</p>
<p>What you could always do if you live so close to campus is still attend the majority of the events and social interactions. It will be different because you won’t be living with a group of people, but if you do indeed save that much money after financial aid and scholarships, perhaps you can live on campus as well?</p>
<p>Either way, there are many things to consider and I think you will have a much clearer picture in mind when all the cards are on the table. Good luck with everything!</p>
<p>My first thought: Stay home. You can keep building the relationships in your local community while getting your degree. This is a great spot for you since. You have a plan for your career and staying local will help you get there. </p>
<p>Where do your stats place you in the local state college admissions stats? If you’re in the middle 50 percent then you will be challenged. Remember, you can always transfer schools. If you decide you want more.</p>
<p>With that said, don’t stop searching. Apply to some other schools and make visits to a lot of different campuses. This will help you make a better decision.</p>
<p>It sounds like you have good relationships at the hospital. If this is the case, I would recommend talking to some people there about your thoughts. Their feedback could be very helpful.</p>