After slogging through thirteen years of school, from kindergarten to senior year of high school, most students cannot wait to graduate.

However, this excitement can easily be tempered by the uncertainty of what to do next. While some young adults know that they want to take a break from school to work, travel, or do something else, and some know exactly where they want to go to school or what they want to do, such as get their online bachelors degree, there are also many recent graduates who are less certain. This is especially true for those who know they want to go to college but are not sure where exactly they should go.

In particular, the decision of whether to stay close to home by going to a college in your home state or moving away to another state is something that often weighs heavily on the mind of a soon-to-be or recent grad. While a person can certainly attend online schools, which allow them to take classes such as online business courses and live anywhere they want whenever they want, many people prefer attending a brick and mortar school. Thus, when deciding whether to leave home or stay nearby for college, many students need to consider both the advantages and drawbacks of leaving home for college.

The Advantages of Leaving Home for College

For many students, nothing is more exciting than getting to leave their home town and get some distance from their parents. In addition to this, students may be motivated by the following advantages to leaving home for college:

• Experiencing a New Place

  From the weather and landscaping to the culture of another city, moving to a new place offers a wealth of new experiences that may not have been available in a person’s home town.

• Enjoying weather that is more suitable to your personality, taste, and activities

  If you live in a colder city, you can move to a warmer one, and vice versa, to be more comfortable and happy in your environment.

• Testing yourself

  Moving away from home, especially for the first time and as a relatively independent adult, can be a very stressful time, as you have to find a place to live, find work, make new friends, and much more. This is a great opportunity to test yourself and learn about who you are as a person.

• Taking classes that you were not offered at home

  All schools offer their own unique classes, giving incoming students the opportunity to learn about subjects they may not be able to in other schools. This can, however, also be achieved through online university classes, such as online business courses and other courses. Additionally, though, you may be able to work at a company or complete extracurricular activities that you were unable to when at home.

The Drawbacks of Leaving Home for College

However, even if you are immeasurably excited to leave your home for school, there are certain drawbacks that could affect you, including:

• Being far from family members and friends – for many people, family is a top priority. Thus, moving away from those that matter the most to you can put a major strain on a person
• Moving to an area that you are unfamiliar with, giving you a sense of unease
• Potentially being unable to participate in the same types of sports, organizations, or other activities that you were in at your home town
• It can be expensive. In addition to public schools being more expensive for out of state students, moving to another place can be very expensive in general, not to mention that the new location may be a more expensive place to live

From these advantages and drawbacks to others, there are many factors to consider when it comes to leaving or staying in your home town for college. Fortunately, this decision can be made easier by the knowledge that you can access classes, such as online business courses, and communities online, giving you connections and opportunities wherever you go.