Making the decision to attend an out-of-state school can be daunting. Take me for example; I made the conscious decision to be dropped in Stillwater, Oklahoma, which is a little over 1,200 miles away from my hometown in western New York. Crazy, right? As an out-of-state student, you are expected to fend for yourself for at least four years of your young life and take on responsibilities you wouldn't necessarily have to if you stayed close to home. Going to college in another state can be terrifying and comes with its disadvantages. However, despite the obvious cons to uprooting and moving across state lines like out-of-state tuition, leaving your loved ones, and missing the occasional holiday, going to college out-of-state can be one of the most exciting things you'll ever do.
1. You are forced to become independent.
As an out-of-state student, you don't have the luxury of being taken care of daily by your parents. You have to do your own laundry, cook your own meals (I use the word "cook" loosely here), and schedule your own appointments. This can be hard at first, but even only six weeks into the semester, I honestly notice a difference in my own independence. I see myself becoming more and more responsible with each passing day. This conversion to independence would not be so rapid had I stayed closer to home and could run home whenever I had an issue I thought was too big for me to deal with on my own. I know now that I am capable of handling much more than I had ever thought possible.
2. You can't go home whenever you have a bad day.
Unless you have the money to drive or fly back and forth from school to home every weekend, you'll find yourself stuck in your college town for extended periods of time. This may seem great at first, but when you have that horrible day when nothing goes right and all you want to do is curl up in your own bed and have your mom tell you everything will be okay, you won't be able to do that. However, I think being denied that opportunity actually helps you toughen up. It's okay to cry it out and eat a whole tub of ice cream because you soon realize you have two papers to write and a test to study for. As an out-of-state student, you are forced to push through whatever is getting you down and focus on what you need to get done, which is an invaluable life skill.
3. You meet interesting new people and get to experience a new way of life and culture.
What excites me the most about being a kid that grew up in western New York now living in northern Oklahoma is that I've come in contact with so many people who are different from me in almost every way possible. I've met people from completely different walks of life and people with different views than me. As an out-of-state student, you are immersed in a different culture where people have different hang-outs, traditions, and perspectives of the world. You might even change your own views after going to college in another state, but even if you don't, you will definitely be exposed to a variety of different perspectives and understand why people think and live like they do. It's something interesting that I may not have experienced in such an intensity had I stayed closer to home.
There are a lot of things to consider before choosing to attend an out-of-state university. It takes courage, strength, and an open mind. I'm sure others have had different experiences with going to college across state lines, but from my own experience so far, I can honestly say that it has helped me grow in ways I thought I never could. The best advice I could give to any high school senior trying to figure out where to go to college is this: Don't limit yourself based on your location. There is really nothing quite like being dropped in the middle of a brand new place to help you grow!
