Why do kids who can afford to go away for college stay close to home and even room with their high

[Anonymous]

school friends? Hear me out. If you can afford $30-40k/yr for college I don’t know why people go to GMU, CUA, AU, Marymount, Howard, etc AND LIVE AT THEM. For that amount of money you could send your kid to a private with merit aid 3,000 miles away or an OOS public with merit. I know these are good schools but I thought one of the primary purposes of staying close was to save money by living at your house. I’m genuinely curious because it’s so odd to me. All of the people I know who’ve had their kids stay this close have money. My parents said no to “plane-ride” schools because of airfare and limited me to 2 hrs from home because they couldn’t understand directions. I was pissed! Why don’t kids want to explore a new place? Expand their horizons?

[Anonymous]

Not everyone can get merit aid. Plane tickets are expensive during holidays.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford $30-40k/yr for college

Which colleges, besides in-state options, cost only 30-40k per year without merit scholarships or need-based aid, that are really attractive out of state? Top 50 privates are almost all somewhere around 75k. Top 100 privates might get the cost down around 50 if you're lucky. There are some privates under 50k, but not many. Most top publics are at least 50k, if not more.

[Anonymous]

PP. That said, some people just like to stay close. Most kids do. Mine are going far away because they want to explore. I agree that exploring is a good thing, but the plane angle is a small pain. I think many overestimate the cost, but there is some cost (plus summer storage)

[Anonymous]

All of mine went out of state to college. If I had that to do over again, not sure I would.

I would still have them live on campus, but for instate tuition absolutely a better financial decision.

Also, when they go to school instate they might make connections and live here hence more family time. For me I think that's the kicker.

As for all the college snobs that will show up on this thread, mine went to Ivies and again for undergrad not sure it was worth it. Are they thriving active adults yes, working yes, would they have the same jobs yes. For me this is about their major.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone wants to go 3,000 miles away. In fact, I'd say most aren't mature enough to be more than a two hour drive from home.

I went to college 40 minutes from my hometown and lived on campus. It was the best experience I could have asked for. I went home about every other weekend and was still able to experience campus life to its fullest. It was the right move for me. I later went to graduate school 1,200 miles away.

On the other hand, I see these status-obsessed parents looking to drop their immature, homesick kids off halfway across the country where they don't know anybody simply because it's the best school they could get into.

[Anonymous]

Because UMD is a great school with so much to offer. Also, scholarships.

[Anonymous]

Some people are happy with who they are and where they're at. That's the goal. You weren't OP so it was good for you to go away and explore.

I know a family who has a son at Georgetown who was living on campus (until the spring obviously). The mom even works in Georgetown, although not at the University. She never saw her son, even in happenstance, except one or two times in over 3 years. It is possible to live nearby and have it seem like a totally different world.

Whatever works!

[Anonymous]

Because we can easily afford it and his school is tops for his program. Why should he have to stay at home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP. That said, some people just like to stay close. Most kids do. Mine are going far away because they want to explore. I agree that exploring is a good thing, but the plane angle is a small pain. I think many overestimate the cost, but there is some cost (plus summer storage)

I went away to get away from my parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because UMD is a great school with so much to offer. Also, scholarships.

I am not counting on scholarships by my kid has has great summer experiences at UMD so that's where he wants to go. We can comfortably afford it and be able to pay for grad school. Win for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If you can afford $30-40k/yr for college

Which colleges, besides in-state options, cost only 30-40k per year without merit scholarships or need-based aid, that are really attractive out of state? Top 50 privates are almost all somewhere around 75k. Top 100 privates might get the cost down around 50 if you're lucky. There are some privates under 50k, but not many. Most top publics are at least 50k, if not more.

With merit: Denison, Kalamazoo, Purdue, Santa Clara, Pitt, Southern flagships, non-flagship oos schools, Copper Union, CTCL schools. But I wasn’t talking about “Top” anything; you added that!

[Anonymous]

The DC area is unusual in the wide variety of colleges and universities that we have locally. I can totally get someone wanting to to attend a nearby college— and also wanting the freedom and experience of living in a dorm. For some, it could be a perfect transition — that allows them to maintain old connections while developing new ones.

Shrug: Different people want and need different things. It’s nice to have options that offer a variety of potentially good “fits”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people are happy with who they are and where they're at. [b]That's the goal. You weren't OP so it was good for you to go away and explore.

I know a family who has a son at Georgetown who was living on campus (until the spring obviously). The mom even works in Georgetown, although not at the University. She never saw her son, even in happenstance, except one or two times in over 3 years. It is possible to live nearby and have it seem like a totally different world.

Whatever works!

Being limited to a 2 hour radius does not mean someone is “unhappy with who they are.”

[Anonymous]

It's probably a vestige from the hunter and gathering societies where people lived on their lands. The hunter-gatherer lifestyle was what all human beings followed some 20,000 years ago until the invention of agriculture about 10,000 years later. The need for "all hands on deck" mentality came from these periods where if a family that don't stick together might not eat.