I was that girl in high school who consistently said I was going to go to college far away from home. I was accepted into schools such as Florida State University, St. Johns University in New York, University of Pittsburgh, etc. I was mainly focused on going to California or Florida though, and my parents hated the idea of it. Not only is out-of-state tuition ridiculously high, but you have to consider the other factors that come into play when you decide to go to college hours away from home. The prices of flights, not being able to get home if an emergency occurs, barely getting to see your family, or not being able to go home for every holiday, homesickness, and so on. As time got closer to graduating high school, I came to reality a little bit and realized how difficult it was for me to even get out to Florida State’s campus just to visit. Therefore, I settled for Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). I am from Philadelphia, PA, so IUP is about 4 and a half hours away from home. Now, let me share the pros and cons of this.
I’ll start off by saying that I am very independent; moving away for college and not being under my parent’s roof was never an issue for me. However, I do want to say that I should of taken their advice. They tried convincing me for months and months to enroll in community college and then go away after two years. At the time (a senior in high school) I thought that they were just trying to baby me and were not quite ready yet for me to move away. This is where I was wrong. If I could go back in time and redo my college years over again, I definitely would have started out with community college, for several reasons. The first reason being money. Staying home and going to community college for two years will not only save you thousands of dollars in loans, but it is easier to save money as well. Say you live with your parents, any money that you earn from working can go straight to your pocket, rather than having to pay for all of the extra things that come with not living at home. On the other hand, even if you do decide to enroll in community college and get your own apartment, it is easier to pick up a part-time job in your hometown. Although I have always been employed since my first year (I was blessed to have work-study) I know many people who struggled with or failed to land themselves a job in this small town. The next reason why I wish I went to community college my first two years is due to the fact that you are still learning about yourself and trying to figure life out during your first year in college. I ended up disliking my university after my second semester as a first year, but transferring came with a lot of difficulties. Four years later; currently a senior at the same school, I find myself going home nearly every weekend (which reminding you is four hours away). Although it may be senioritis, things would be a lot different if I was to go to community college first and did not rush getting away so quick.
On the other hand, there are pros that come along with moving away as well. I had many friends who decided to do the community college route and planned on leaving after two years, but either never left or stopped going all together. Staying in your hometown and being around the same surroundings that you were in high school, can come with distractions that hold you back from new experiences and growth. If I never left for college when I did, I do not think that I would be the same person that I am today. Although I am not the biggest fan of my school, I appreciate the experiences that I had here over the four years, and all of the lessons that I learned. Do not get me wrong, I am not telling anyone to stay at home and go to community college, nor am I telling anyone to leave from your hometown right away. But, I do want to say do not think that your parents are trying to ruin your lives or baby you by suggesting community college, first. There are definitely pros that come along with it. Trust your gut and follow your dreams, and never give up on yourself.
Photo by Honey Yanibel Minaya Cruz on Unsplash