5 Amazing Things That Will Happen If You Leave Your Hometown for College

5 Amazing Things That Will Happen If You Leave Your Hometown for College

If you are a rising junior, your college process is beginning to ramp up even amidst all the social disruption. And, with a growing list of colleges and universities pushing back their deadline for students to accept their spot in the upcoming first year class, many seniors are still weighing options and will find this information relevant and timely.

You’ve probably got a long list of potential colleges and an even longer list of priorities you’re sorting through. Over the next few months, you’ll narrow that list to the select few you actually want to attend.

Factors like size, location, and the majors offered all play a significant role in determining whether or not a particular school is a strong fit for you.

We’ve already examined the pros and cons of small colleges and large universities. Today, we’ll focus on location. Specifically, let’s talk about some of the reasons why you should strongly consider going away for college.

Even if there are great colleges near your hometown, you should engage in a thorough search process. There are many amazing advantages you can gain by leaving familiar scenery.

Let’s take a closer look.

1. You will shrink your comfort zone, but only temporarily.

Going away to college can be scary. Speaking from experience, the thought of leaving your friends and family might make you nervous. I still remember how lonely I felt my first night in my dorm, 3,000 miles away from home.

I also remember how accomplished I felt when my family flew 3,000 miles to see me graduate.

Separated from the people and creature comforts you’ve grown up accustomed to, you can expect to experience some uncertainty at the beginning of your journey. This will be worse for some than others, but an adjustment period is both normal and necessary.

Going to school away from home can force you to step way outside your comfort zone. But as you embrace the experience, you will find yourself growing more at ease in your new surroundings.

With this increased ease comes self-confidence. Soon, many of the very things that made you nervous initially will cause excitement instead.  And you will be able to directly apply that pioneering spirit beyond college if, for example, you get a dream opportunity in a foreign city.

But even if you intend to return to your hometown after college, your experience outside your geographic comfort zone will broaden your perspective for understanding differences between people and cultures. You will grow more comfortable with ambiguity and unfamiliarity as well.

2. You will expand your network in ways that might surprise you.

Any school you attend will afford you the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with new people. But you open yourself up to so much more of the world when you go away to college.

Let’s say, for example, that you’re a great student who lives in Los Angeles. Immediately, you will have fantastic public and private options all a short drive away from your home. And you should consider them strongly in your decision-making process.

Yet, although USC and UCLA are quite different institutions, in both cases the majority of their students grew up in California and have family relatively nearby. That certainly has an effect on the culture of the campus.

There is tremendous diversity of thought, experience, and preference throughout the United States. And with over 4,000 colleges and universities spread across the nation, you are bound to find many schools in different areas that fit your needs.

The more practice you get building community with people whose life experiences are different than what you’re used to, the better prepared you’ll be to function in a multicultural world. Your network will grow stronger, and you will learn important skills that can be applied to other contexts.

3. You will leave the “old you” behind when you go away to college.

Some students literally need to put distance between who they were or how they were perceived in high school and who they hope to be.

Going away to college gives you the chance to reinvent yourself in a safe environment. It’s much easier to make a fresh start when few people, if anyone, know you.

Perhaps you want to be more outgoing. Maybe you would actually rather sing in the glee club than play football. Or maybe high school wasn’t a great emotional experience for you and you would better thrive in a fresh environment.  

Going to college away from your hometown will give you the freedom to embrace new traditions and try on new facets of your personality.

4. You will be able to test drive a different way of life.

I grew up very much a city boy. I like the noise and the crowd and the energy. But I chose to attend a small, rural college surrounded by woods where I knew no one.

As an adult now, I know that I wouldn’t want to live so far from a major city. And though I don’t mind the snow, I would rather need air conditioning in the summer than a fireplace in the winter. But as a college student, that environment was the perfect setting to help broaden my horizons.

There’s no better time in your life than college to step off the beaten path. You are presented with an opportunity to try living somewhere completely different, with no strings attached. When you’re weighing how important location is to your search, think about how the environment you study in can expose you to something new.

5. You will gain a new perspective on where you’re from.

See your hometown with fresh eyes. When you spend time away, you’ll be able to reevaluate what you love about where you live as well as the people in your circle of friends from high school.

Perhaps the things you expected to miss most won’t even cross your mind. Or maybe you’ll be convinced that you want to return there after graduation and establish your professional life in your hometown.

There’s no right or wrong answer but giving yourself the benefit of a new perspective will open your eyes. And without the fallback of sleeping in your own bed or having your parents do your laundry on the weekend, you will be forced to immerse yourself in the community you’ve chosen.

Is going away to college right for you?

College is about self-discovery as much as it is about classroom learning. Choosing the best school for you begins with putting together a strong list.

As you browse through dozens of college websites and brochures, try to imagine yourself in different settings. How might you benefit from studying at a school 100, 500, or 1,000 miles away?

We’ve given you five ways students benefit from going away to college. If any of them appeal to you, strongly consider including out-of-town and out-of-state schools on your college list.

The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.

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