Attending college marks a new era of adulthood in many students’ lives. For the first time, kids are out of the house and forced to grapple with the new people, environments and responsibilities that college presents.
Some students make this scary time even more daunting by traveling states away from home. According to Affordable Colleges Online, only 28% of students attend colleges out-of-state, whereas the other 2 million stay in a mostly-familiar setting with family and friends in close reach.
One such student joining the minority is Neha Katakamshetty.
“[I’m going to] UNC Chapel Hill in North Carolina,” she said. “It was one of my top choices.”
Katakamshetty has known for a while that she wanted to look for a school farther away.
“I wanted to go to college on the east coast and in a warmer city,” she said. “I really liked North Carolina when I visited.”
Another student going to college outside of Kansas is senior Morgan Wolfe, who is planning on attending Florida Gulf Coast University. Similar to Katakamshetty, Wolfe wanted to look for colleges outside of Kansas.
“I always wanted to go to school in Florida,” she said. “My main thing is because I wanted warm weather and a beach and kind of like a fresh start, away from everything.”
Though leaving can be scary, there can be many benefits.
“I’m excited for meeting new people and just having a whole new experience and opportunities,” Wolfe said.
Katakamshetty acknowledges there will be new problems she’ll have to deal with.
“[Challenges are] probably meeting new people and getting used to the setting,” she said.
Wolfe also acknowledges the downsides she’ll face going so far away.
“I’m definitely [worried about] missing my mom [and] not being able to go talk to her about anything or seeing her every day and not being with my friends for a long period of time,” she said.
College is an exciting new experience no matter where it’s located. It may be challenging, but it can also be very rewarding.
“I was set on needing to be out of state, and my parents were supportive of it,” Wolfe said. “I have the opportunity so I’m going to take it.”
