As a Colorado Springs native, I knew that I didn't want to go to my local university, but I still wanted to stay in Colorado for college. I found UNC in Greeley, Colorado and found my home. For me, UNC was the most amazing place filled with that special "UNC Magic" that made me feel like I belonged, so I applied promptly. At college I met so many people from around the state who also decided to attend UNC, but I met just as many out-of-staters. It actually baffled me a little bit that people from states with better known colleges, like California or Texas, would choose to go to a school out of state, but it was more than just a surface level decision. The fact that the state you live in has good schools means nothing if that isn't where you want to go.
I’ve heard plenty of reasons for why out-of-staters come to UNC, including, how amazing the programs are here (PVA, Elementary ED, and business in particular), family being nearby, recruiting, and then the amount of financial aid they offered here made attendance affordable. Besides these things, each person seemed to have toured campus either prior to applying or at orientation and felt the UNC magic and that's what made them want to come here in the end. The fact that they decided to leave home and come so far away made me think of when I first got offers from colleges out of state. Whenever I contemplated going out of state for college there were a few problems that I contemplated, and for me, those were deal breakers.
If you go out of state for college (or even just far away within state in my case) there are some obstacles that may or may not have been thought about when you first applied.
Will you be okay with driving from your home to your college? How much will it cost for a parking pass? Will you need a car to get to where you're staying or a job? How will you get your things brought here if you don't just pack it in your car and drive? Will you want to take all of your stuff home after you finish the school year? Have you thought about getting a storage unit for the summer for your big items that you don't need to take back and forth? How will you go home during breaks? Will you be able to make it home during emergencies? What will you do if you can't go home? Are you okay with potentially not being able to celebrate family birthdays or being able to see them as often? Do you have a way to handle being away from home when your friends might be going home every weekend?
It’s true that these are things that you will have to think about, but if you have thought about these problems, then they shouldn't be what stop you from attending a college that you love. I personally didn't because I thankfully found a college that I loved in-state. For me, going out of state wasn't worth it but I'm still very glad that I went to a university a small distance away from home. It was far enough to have the benefits of going out of state for college, without most of the cons. However, every person is different when it comes to picking where they want to attend. Some people want to stay as close to home as possible and some want to go as far away as possible. Visit your potential school and decide for yourself if it is going to be a good decision for you.
