Going off to college gives you the chance to step outside your comfort zone and explore a whole new world. You get to meet new people, do new things, explore new interests and find out who you really are. Students who choose to attend college out-of-state find themselves coming across many opportunities they wouldn’t have experienced had they remained close to home.
Leaving your home state allows you to start a new life. If you weren’t crazy about your high school or previous state, you can find a new home with new kinds of people. You probably won’t run into old acquaintances and you can shed any previous labels you had – good or bad. You get to experience the different cultures and values of the region. For example, leaving a big city on the West Coast to attend college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama can cause quite a shock at first, but if you assimilate, you could find yourself listening to country music and sporting Bama Bangs in no time. Football might replace surfing as your favorite sport. You might take courses on the Antebellum South and the history of the Confederacy, thus becoming a Civil War buff. You and your new friends can enjoy spring breaks at the most infamous spots along the Gulf Coast, partying with every other college student from the region. If you like your new state enough, you could live in it after college. You’ll find job opportunities throughout the region as well as your home state.
A common drawback of attending an out-of-state institution is the costs. According to Business Week, fewer high school students in 2009 considered leaving their home states for college because of the down economy. For example, at the University of Texas, students from other states pay at least $10,000 more per semester than in-state residents. That’s a big price to pay for a new experience. However, if you can’t afford the high costs, you can apply for additional financial aid or receive an out-of-state tuition waiver by qualifying academically. In states like Texas, certain campus jobs enable students to receive in-state rates. If you can manage the tuition, college will be a time you won’t forget. And when you graduate, you’ll be much more interesting than your friends who stuck around in their comfort zones.