Lesson 2: Selecting a College
The Underlying Factors: Location, Climate & Distance From Home
Location
Urban colleges offer a selection of cultural and ethnic activities, restaurants and a realistic view of life in the big city. If the thought of taking a subway or bus is culture shock for your child, you may want to rethink a campus in the middle of a city. On the other hand, college is about broadening your horizons and city life is a unique and wonderful eye-opener. Urban campuses are generally mixed in with the skyscrapers, businesses, restaurants, theatres, homeless people, traffic, public transportation and litter. Rural campuses are often sprawling, idyllic settings that are far away from the nearest town. While beautiful scenery is pleasant, your child might feel isolated if the nearest town only has one pizza parlor for the center of activity. Suburban campuses generally offer a mixture of both. They have some greenery, local towns with all the amenities (or most of them) and a quick commute into the city.
Climate
If you live in California where the weather is generally a balmy 75-85 degrees year round, the frigid temperatures in Boston may be a novelty at first, but will your child really acclimate to northeastern winters? On the opposite side of the coin, your avid skier might find a trip to Los Angeles refreshing, but will s/he be missing the slopes by October? If you’ve never considered location and climate as factors, take a short family trip to the city from the farm or vice versa. Spend a weekend in the northeast during January or hit the beaches of the west coast in August.
How Far Is Home?
This can be an important financial and emotional factor. There are many considerations:
•If your child is halfway across the country or the world, will s/he be expected to forego visits home for the smaller holidays or breaks?
•Can you afford plane fare every few months?
•How will you arrange transportation of all the necessities for living on campus?
•Does your child need to visit home more often? (Most freshmen like to come home every 6 weeks or so if possible, if only to have mom cook and do laundry). The need to return to the nest generally eases up each year.
•If there is a medical or family emergency, how quickly can you get to your child or get your child home?
•Is transportation a hassle or are there plane, bus, train connections that are easily accessible to your child and cost effective?
•Are the schedules conducive to travel?
•How far is college from home by car?
•Do you have a reliable vehicle with enough storage room, or will each trip require a vehicle rental? Many schools in rural/suburban communities (especially state schools) offer chartered bus service to cities within their area for major holidays/vacations. You may expect to pay a reasonable fee for this option. Even if the cost is above what you planned on spending, the convenience often outweighs the additional fee. A lot of families limit their college search to schools within a one day drive of their homes. You never know when you will have to drive to and from campus in one day. If you are seriously considering a school, check the transportation available to that location, both public and private.
