When it came to the decision of where to go to school, my decision was made for me. I had been planning on swimming for another school in my current home state on the East Coast. However, after budget cuts, the school cut the team. I then found myself making the decision to go to my dream school, which just happened to be on the West Coast. In my first year, I discovered that there are some really great experiences that come from going to school out of state, but there are also some hoops that must be jumped through.
The Ups
If you're going through Greek Recruitment, it can be a great conversation starter.
Recruitment can be intimidating, especially since you must have so many conversations. Being from out of state is great because when the "Where are you from?" question comes up, you become automatically far more interesting to the person talking to you.
Every time you go home, you get to travel
If you're someone who likes to travel, then this is a dream come true. When it's time to head back to school or go home you get the excuse to travel independently across the country. Who doesn't like to pretend they are going somewhere exciting when they travel?
You will rarely know anyone going to your school
This is fantastic for those who wanted a fresh start in college. If the kind of fresh start where you don't see anyone from high school in the library or in class is what you're looking for, then going out of state may be right for you.
You learn to be independent
Unlike people who go to school just a few hours away from home, you don't have the option to just hop in the car every few weekends. Instead, you wait for Christmas break to roll around, and by that time you probably haven't seen your family in months—which may be hard, but you're learning to survive on your own.
The Downs
It can be a terrible conversation starter
Outside of the realm of recruitment, telling others you're from across the country can get a little bit old. Suddenly you're at a party and you are introduced to people with, "This is Sally, she's from the East Coast!" You find yourself hoping that it's not the most interesting thing about you.
You have a long day of traveling when it's time to go home
After traveling across the country several times, things can start to get a little dicey. After you find yourself running to your gate to make your connecting flight or sitting next to the guys who snores for three hours straight several times, the glamour seems to fade a little bit.
You probably won't know a soul
If you are someone who grew up in the same place with the same people, going somewhere unknown could be intimidating. You find yourself needing to find a place to fit in, but at least it's college and there's a place for everyone.
You don't get to go home very often
Like anyone else you can get a little bit homesick, but you can't make it home to see your parents every time this happens. Sometimes you may find yourself wishing you went to school a little closer to home, but at least we have Skype now for those days when it gets a little bit hard.
