Pro: It’s a good opportunity to broaden your horizons
As graduation approaches for seniors, a lot of them will be heading to state colleges, whether public or private, yet a small amount will be leaving the Sunshine State. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 18% of incoming college freshman will attend an out of state college. During the application process, seniors had to determine if they wanted to experience their education in the state they were familiar with, or step outside their comfort zone.
“A definite upside is the fact that it’s a new experience, and I’ll be meeting new people, and living in a different place than Florida.” said Patrick Lukert, who will be attending Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut this fall. “Going to Connecticut, the weather, it’s going to be an obstacle. But it’ll be exciting.”
Although traveling into the unknown may seem daunting to some students, others seize the opportunity to take their education to the next level. It could be out of obligation, to continue a legacy at a certain college, the fact that a student is playing for that out of state college team, a top-notch program in an ideal major, or a simple yearning for a new experience that one chooses to pursue their education out of state. By attending an out of state college, students have a perfect chance to immerse themselves in a totally new culture. Learning a new city in a new state equips students with valuable assets that will benefit them later in life. Being able to interpret a new demographic helps students when they have to go out and start living on their own. Out of state, with less frequent home visits and without the comforts of home, pushes students to become more independent. Without the safety net of home to fall into, students who attend an out of state college must be able to function on their own, and must be mature enough to handle living on their own. Although a lot of these requirements are something that all incoming college students must experience, they are magnified for those attending an out of state college.
Although heading out of state can be costly, many institutions offer incoming students exclusive scholarships for those coming from different states in order to expand the variety of their student body. Other colleges extend state tuition to states around them or waiver fees for students coming in from neighboring states. This not only helps colleges combat declining attendance rates, but diversifies their campus, and also proves to be a great benefit for those incoming students who get a unforgettable experience without breaking the bank.
For some, their decision to attend out of state was based on one choice, such as a spot on a sports team or the commitment to an ongoing legacy, but has easily evolved into something more.
“That’s just the way things worked out,” said Lukert, “I was open to both [out of state and in state], but going out of state was how it turned out. The school has a really good business program, so that was factored into my decision.”
Kids who experience life outside their home state for college are more likely to be more extroverted than others who choose to stay in state. Those who attend a college out of state for a specific reason find themselves more involved in the school campus than only focusing specifically on that single reason, for the simple reason that they find themselves more outgoing and sociable.
Out of state is a unique experience to have while you are still young. Nothing else can adequately offer what an out of state enrollment can, and is an option that everyone should consider.
Jillian Dradzynski // Backpage Editor
Con: Is the risk worth it?
One of the toughest decisions you may face as a high school senior is whether to attend an in-state or an out-of-state college. As the school year is coming to a close, many Seniors will be staying in the Sunshine Capital of the world to further their education. Maybe that’s for a good reason.
Although many Seniors wish to start their lives away from home, affordability may ultimately be the deciding factor. While going out of state for college sounds like an awesome idea, students often find that it is easier to get accepted into your home sate and you may be granted access to additional financial aid that you would not have been provided had you gone off to an out-of-state institution. Many states offer their eligible students opportunities to receive scholarships and grants for choosing to stay in state and go to college. Not only are the academic prices better in-state, but you can also save so much money on both living expenses and travel expenses. When a student decides to leave their home state for another out-of-state college, they can no longer have the advantage of receiving free money to help them pay for their costs of tuition.
Quite a few state schools make it much more harder academically for out-of-state students to get in. State institutions were traditionally founded to provide a place for academic excellence for the students in their state.While it is true that some schools try and recruit students from out-of-state to broaden their acceptance rates, they chose the ones who are not only high achieving but can also pay the full attendance cost without any help or support from the school.
A lot of the time, in-state colleges get a bad reputation, but there’s nothing wrong with staying close to home. While out-of-state, many students experience homesickness, no matter how far away they are studying. Even though students in-state experience the feeling of homesickness just as much as those out-of-state, the ones who chose to expand their education onto different heights may find it harder to get home. Getting back home to visit your family and friends during holidays and just because will require a lot more time, effort, and money compared to those who stay in-state and can just drive back home for the weekend.
While out-of-state schooling may sound like an appealing choice, academics, affordability, and traveling are huge components that you have to consider before packing up your life and moving away.
Kayleigh Haight // Staff Writer
