A lot of different variables go into selecting a college or university to attend after high school: school size, type, and, of course, location. For some, staying close to home is the obvious choice. But there are advantages to going out of state that cannot be overlooked.

A majority of students usually have spent all of their lives in the same city or state, and might get bored by the surroundings they have known. In this case, going to an out-of-state school allows these students to travel to new frontiers and live in a different place temporarily. Going to college is a journey that should be considered exciting. It may be hard to find excitement in a town, city, or even state that the student has already fully explored.

Another benefit to going to an out-of-state school is that students have higher chances of meeting new people. Students who stay in state may still find themselves surrounded by the familiar faces of their high school peers, while those who leave have a better opportunity to make new friends. College is a place for self discovery, but also to find and compare world views with those who grew up differently than you did, which can sometimes come easier when you leave your state.

Also, freedom is another benefit to moving away for college. Some teens really just want to be as far away from their parents as possible, because they want to be able to be their own person without parental influence. Though leaving home and family is difficult, a lot of students want to experience life on their own, and get far from their metaphorical nest. 

Maybe most importantly, there could be better opportunities for a student’s prospective career at a college outside of his or her own state. Sometimes people have all of the qualifications for a successful career in their field, but they are not in the right geographical location. These students may want to go out of state to get a leg up in their field of interest.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay close to home, but some teens want to explore and find new friends, opportunities, and world views. Sometimes those things can be found just around the corner, but if students need to take a plane or train to find them, the advantages heavily outweigh the risks.