Choosing a college is one of the first major decisions that can shape a student’s future. The decision is about much more than finding a good place to study for four years or more. It means choosing where to spend a significant part of your early twenties; a place where you will meet new people, experience independence, discover new interests, and begin building the future you have imagined for yourself. For students in Puerto Rico, choosing a college can also mean deciding whether to stay on the island or move to one of the States in search of new educational opportunities.
For some students, being close to home is exactly what they want. There are colleges on the island that provide a chance to get a degree while staying close to your family, culture, language, and community. But staying close to home may also ease the burden of moving hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Yet for other students, leaving looks like the better choice, or sometimes the only one.
There is no reason to blame students for leaving the island, just as there is no reason to blame those who choose to stay. Every college choice has its own story. Some students are leaving because there is no place to get their desired academic program, especially when we talk about very specialized degrees or majors. Others receive scholarships that give them the opportunity to attend a university they have always dreamed of. These scholarships can open doors to academic programs or athletic opportunities that may have otherwise been financially out of reach.
Financial issues are not the only thing that students take into account while making a college decision. Future plans are important as well. Choosing a college is usually about looking ahead and choosing the way you see your future career going. Having access to internships, research, professional connections, specialized industry, and future employers may influence the place of study. For students who are getting an education in a discipline that is poorly represented in Puerto Rico, leaving the island may be just a necessary step to enter the field.
But besides that, the state of getting a higher education may influence students’ decisions as well. The students from Puerto Rico have experienced strikes in some universities, financial troubles in public institutions, problems with registration or admissions, and other troubles that may influence the process of getting a good education. It doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to get a high-quality education there, and it does not affect every student in the same way. However, for a high school senior comparing universities, stability and the possibility of graduating on schedule can become part of the decision.
At the same time, leaving Puerto Rico for education in the United States also carries its disadvantages. Leaving the island means leaving your parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, familiar foods, traditions, and a whole support system behind. Puerto Ricans may not face immigration barriers when moving to the United States, but that does not make leaving home any easier. Besides that, students may struggle at first to use English instead of Spanish, as well as adjusting to a new climate, learning to live independently, and dealing with homesickness in addition to succeeding academically.
Beyond these reasons, there is another factor that influences why young Puerto Ricans choose to leave the island. While one student may come back after college having gained the knowledge and experience they had wanted, others may establish their careers and lives somewhere else. As students build professional connections, complete internships, and receive job offers, returning to Puerto Rico may become more difficult. The opportunities they find while studying can encourage them to build their lives elsewhere. Something that started as a choice of where to go to college can eventually become a decision about where to build a life.
Therefore, it is a much more complicated decision than just deciding which university is “better”. A university may be perfect in terms of the academic program it provides while demanding a sacrifice of closeness to your family and friends. At the same time, staying close to home can provide a student with a familiar comfort zone, while some students can wonder whether their opportunities are better elsewhere. The challenge for Puerto Rico is creating a place where leaving becomes an option rather than something students feel they need to do to reach their goals.Â
Perhaps some students leave their beloved Puerto Rico today in search of the opportunities they need, hoping to build a future where the generations after them will not have to leave to find the same.