Going to a college or university can be an amazing experience, but there is a drawback to everything. Here are 3 things out-of-staters will miss when they go to college.
1. The Drive
The drive is what I like to call the one to six-hour drive that most in-state college kids get to make. Pack up the car with all the things you want to take with you to college and you’re good to go. Pass by a Starbucks and settle in for a long ride with your parents and their old-fashioned taste in music. Add a sprinkle of lectures about the new responsibilities that come with going to college and you have The Drive. The upside to The Drive is avoiding expensive plane tickets and long wait times. Also with a car, you are able to bring stuff with you. Amazing, I know. Let me explain. When you take a plane you can take a few suitcases and that’s about it. You can’t take your comfy comforter with you or all your school supplies. Packing light is mandatory on a plane but if you make The Drive, you can bring a whole lot more stuff with you.
2. Parents
Although they have a crappy taste in music, you’re going to miss seeing your parents. If you live out of state or just really far away, chances are you’re not going to see them face to face often. You probably won’t even have enough time to go home for Thanksgiving and will have to wait until winter break rolls around. You won’t be able to go home every weekend and have them do your laundry and feed you as you complain about the cafeteria food. Overall, not seeing your parents for three months can be a stab in the heart.
3. Cheap tuition
This article should be called ‘the things you and your parents will miss out on’, am I right? No? Okay then. Most public in-state institutions are cheaper than the out of state option, public or private. This is because your parents pay taxes that go to nearby public schools. Since it’s like you already paid for some of it, in-state public schools seem (and are) cheaper. If your parents are helping you pay for college, then they just might feel the weight on their wallet more than if you went to an in-state school. And even if it’s not that much of a burden on the wallet, it still is money, and as a college student, you always need it for books, food or even fun things to do.
It might seem like a difficult choice to be an out-of-stater. Sure, you miss out on some things, but you get to go to an awesome school that you love, where the experience will be like no other.