I live in the rural part of my state, and I never really got the chance to go to a city. I applied to a mix of schools in rural and urban communities, but I really can’t decide why I would want to live in the city. It just seems so busy and noisy. But a lot of my friends can’t wait to leave for college in the city. I really don’t understand why they would want to do this. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Noise, litter, homeless people, everything is expensive, no place to park, crime, rats, and roaches. What’s not to like?
Don’t allow your friends to bully you into thinking big cities are so great. They have plenty of flaws, and their merits are often overrated. The allure of big cities is often a scam perpetrated by people who are too devoted to going with the crowd to think for themselves and see beneath the surface. You talk to someone about NYC, they rave about the live theater and the museums, and then you ask them when’s the last time they attended either, and it’s like once in the last ten years. You will find that people in the more glamorous cities (LA, NYC, Miami, etc.) are often vacuous people who think they themselves are interesting merely because they live there…not because they are actually interesting or have done something interesting.
Alternatively…things to do, people to meet, excitement.
Your friends’ preferences could be based on substantive criteria, or they could be based primarily on “fashion.” Along these lines, if you were to study American cultural history, you would eventually come across books such as Walden II and Small is Beautiful, which tend to indicate preferences in terms of environment have been inconstant within the relatively recent past. So, it may be that people partly do what they genuinely prefer, and party respond to societal suggestion. If you clearly know what you personally want, and it sounds as if you do, then your own decision can be made without interference.
@moooop You will find that people in the more glamorous cities (LA, NYC, Miami, etc.) are often vacuous people who think they themselves are interesting merely because they live there…not because they are actually interesting
and you will find people who don’t live in cities, trashing people who do, with a bunch of silly sterotypes
I’ve lived in cities. This is not something I read in a book.
Colleges in small towns or rural areas may foster a better sense of community than do colleges in cities, because most everything takes place on campus. Cities can offer more opportunity for internships, cultural opportunities and transportation home. So preference for one over the other really depends on what you want out of a college experience. Neither is right or wrong.
Off Campus Activities,Nightlife, Diversity, Close Access to businesses/jobs,superior public transportation
Cities are good for dorming since everything is right there. A lot of times some suburban/rural campuses are in dull towns where the only activities are on campus & you may NEED to use a car. There are good & bad of both city,suburban, & rural campus
“Alternatively…things to do, people to meet, excitement.”
You can find that on any vibrant campus, urban, suburban or rural.
I live really close to a major city and spend a majority of my time there, I love the city, and I’m planning on going to school in an urban environment.
I love cities because honestly, I find them beautiful. There’s so many people, everything just feels so alive and exciting and important. I don’t think I could ever live in a rural environment. There’s also all the activities and opportunities in a city, but even if you don’t utilize them, there’s just something so special and beautiful of being somewhere so teeming with life.
As applied to college life, I feel like yes, a smaller and less urban environment might foster a smaller and tighter community-but that doesn’t mean that cities in general are bad, vapid, or uninteresting.
It is a strictly personal choice. Some people love the excitement, opportunities, culture etc. that come with being in a city. @Alexandre There are things that can be more readily done going to school in a major city. For example my S went to college in NYC and he did go to Broadway shows (student discount tickets), Off-Broadway shows, major museums (ex. Met, Natural History, High Line), see tapings of The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (all free), go to comedy shows, go to concerts large and small, enjoy Greenwich Village and so much more. I would offer that for a student who is not into the typical college party scene, that going to school in/near a major city might offer good alternative activities. College students seem to be able to find places that offer inexpensive/free/discounted events. He also had opportunities to intern with companies in NYC during his college years.
Others (including my D) do prefer the a quieter/more suburban environment. Her weekends were more based on activities that the school offers. Based on location alone, she and my S have had very different college experiences, but each one chose a place that was the right fit.
There is no right or wrong. Pick the environment that makes you feel comfortable/happy.
@Alexandre Believe me, I am well aware of the suburban campus experience. That’s no reason for OP or anyone else to beat people down for wanting to go to school in a city. People have different preferences and tbh this shouldn’t even be an argument.
If the idea of attending an urban college doesn’t appeal to you, then don’t go to one. There are plenty of colleges, with a full array of options to suit your preferences. Disclosure: I went to college in NYC, and it was perfect for me after four years of boarding school. My elder son attends college in a large city; the younger attends one in a small-ish city.
Here’s some articles:
http://blog.prepscholar.com/should-i-go-to-a-rural-urban-or-suburban-college
https://m.reddit.com/r/college/comments/2zz0o5/urban_vs_rural_vs_suburban_campuses/
Cities aren’t for everyone.
I was in a city for both undergrad and grad school. I went to art museums regularly, liked having some of my architectural history and design classes use sites in the city, Broadway shows, seeing Rock bands in Central Park. My dorm rooms at undergrad varied, but one was in a quiet residential neighborhood with half the rooms facing the even quieter quad. I think there could be sometimes a danger if there is too much to do in a city less will happen on campus, but I haven’t actually observed it.
I think many suburban campuses provide the best of both worlds. A bubble on campus with easy access to a nearby city.
I’ve always admired students who try something different from how/where they were raised, whatever that may be. College is a great time to try a different lifestyle that may not be available once career, mortgage, a good school district for the kids, caring for aging parents, etc comes along. Live it up! 
Until you’ve actually done it you’ll never know what it’s like. I grew up in a small town, lived on an island that was basically deserted 8 months out of the year and lived in a very nice college town. I never lived in a real city until I went to grad school and I haven’t left it since. I wouldn’t want to go back to that but that’s me. I’m just glad I’ve lived in all kinds of environments to see how it is. The only thing I haven’t done that I wanted to do when younger was live in another country - maybe when I retire.
I’ve lived in many kinds of places (including big cities in the USA and abroad).
I do think everyone should have the experience of living in a vibrant city such as NY, Chicago, or Boston. I don’t think your college years are the best time to do it, though. Better to do it after you get a job and have more spending money. Brooklyn, NY is crawling with recently-arrived twenty-somethings who find that a great time to enjoy urban life.
One significant advantage that cities do tend to offer for college students is internship opportunities.
A city campus generally means convenient access to an airport
Also there are different kinds of cities in the USA. NYC, Boston, Philly, Chicago, San Fran, Baltimore are way different than LA, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, etc