Hi everybody! As we get closer to the start of the fall semester, the anxieties I had when picking an out-of-state school are coming back. For context, I am from Hopkins MN which is about 1,870 miles away from campus. I knew from the start of my college search that I wanted to go to an out-of-state school. I have always been a homebody and loved spending time with my family so I think my parents were surprised when I said I only wanted to look out of state. As much as staying close to home seemed like an appealing idea, I felt like it was time for me to branch out on my own.
Enough about me, hopefully, this blog post can help you figure out for yourself if an in-state or out-of-state or even international college is the best fit for you. The following list are a few things I recommend to think about when starting your search.
- One thing that I think is important when considering an out-of-state school is your relationship with your family. Having a healthy and good support system is key for your college experience. It is a personal decision if you think that your family will be a good part of that or not but I definitely think it is a good thing to think about.
- Going along the lines with family still, if you have a sibling where they attended. While knowing you are different from your sibling, you can discuss with them why they picked the college they did and the area.
- One thing I thought about as well was if there was anyone I knew in the area with who I would feel comfortable going to dinner with or asking for support from them.
- If you are someone who is looking for new experiences with people of other viewpoints or experiences, an out-of-state college might be a good fit for you because there will be differences from your home community and can help expand your views on life.
- When looking at out-of-state colleges – try to see what percent of students live on campus and if you are guaranteed housing for all 4 years.
- Finally being from Minnesota, a place known for our freezing/snowy winters, looking at the climate of the location played into my decision as well.
*One thing to take into consideration as well as the dreaded topic of paying for college. For public state colleges, there is something called in and out-of-state tuition. However, private liberal arts colleges (like Scripps) have access to grants which can also affect tuition for students. Scripps promises to meet all demonstrated need and an estimate of how much your family might have to pay can be found on the financial aid website*
Hopefully, this blog post is helpful for you when making this decision of an in or out-of-state college. If you want to hear more about my personal experience when deciding this you can contact me at my email: [email protected]