So, for whatever reason, you've decided to go out-of-state for higher education.
Maybe it's for freedom from a small town where everyone knows you? Maybe you got an amazing scholarship? Maybe you just wanted a change in scenery?
No matter what your reason is, here's a list of things you're going to experience constantly.
1. You Don't Know Where You Are
Maybe you did a little bit of research on the surrounding area before coming to your university, but chances are you're still pretty clueless. Google Maps becomes your new god and you set up a shrine to him in your dorm's wardrobe before your first semester is over. Hopefully by your senior year of college, you'll have some idea on where surrounding towns are, but it's looking pretty unlikely.
2. People Explaining Where They Live
No offense Frank from Algebra, but no matter how much you try to explain it, I have no idea where your obscure county is in relation to this university. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I've said "oh, yes" just to be polite, when in reality it feels like I'm being spoken to in another language. Sure, out-of-state students know a few major locations in their university's state, but forgive us for not memorizing the whole map before arriving.
3. Absentee Ballots
It's that time of year where voter registration and primaries are going on and you're kind of left in the dust. You took one long glance at your state's absentee ballot process and thought "nope." At the same time, all your college friends are offered a quick and easy place to vote and will give you a hard time for not voting. Sorry, but when the process to vote is harder than passing a college Chemistry course I'm not going to do that.
4. Far From Home
In college you know a ton of people who are able to go home every weekend or for every holiday. As an out-of-state student, however, that becomes tricky. For shorter breaks you're stuck on campus while your friends are able to go home to relax, and you may have to pick and choose which holidays you'll spend at home and which aren't worth the drive.
5. Different Shared Memories
When I say "shared memories" I'm talking the one place everyone went to as a kid. In my home-state of Virginia, those places are Jamestown, Busch Gardens, and King's Dominion. In my university's state of North Carolina, it's Carowinds and the Outer Banks. The people in your university's state might know of the places you went to as a kid, but they didn't have those same experiences and vice versa.
6. You Know No One
If you've gone out-of-state, chances are you won't know anyone at your university. Of course, in-state students may not know many people at their university but they'll know at least one person from their hometown that will be there. There's practically a .001% chance of running into anyone from back home. Whether this is a good thing or not is up to you, but it can be a littler harder to find people with similar interests when none of your former peers are at your university.
Being an out-of-state student comes with a good deal of struggles, but it can be worth it if you have the right mindset about it. You'll be able to expand your knowledge on geography and put your patience to the test with our nation's highways and airlines. Overall, going out-of-state for your undergrad can help you grow to be a more independent and confident adult.
