Brief Post Today because it's spring break and I have a BFF to visit at Barnard.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
Today I’m going to talk about a not so little thing,
distance.
Many applicants have a certain radius or location they
desire to be in. Maybe you’re going to stay in state, maybe only the north-east,
maybe only California or the Midwest.
Maybe you have to be 5 hours driving, or 3 hours door to
door.
Know your travel distance before you start looking at schools.
Also know, financially, how you can travel. If you can
travel by plane, there’s not a whole lot of difference of a 5 hour driving or
flying radius, but it can expand your options. If you can only take trains,
that changes things as well. If you need to look at schools where you’ll always
be able to get a ride from someone (or take a school-provided bus) that makes a
huge difference where you can look.
Talk to your parents about the finances of traveling. Know
what your situation is before you start obsessing over schools that are just
not possible.
Additionally, know yourself. Know if you want to go far
away, or be close enough that you can pop home when you need it.
If you’re very close to your family, maybe going 10 hours
away when you can only afford to fly at the beginning and end of each semester
isn’t the best choice.
If you have health considerations, know how you’re going to
deal with them. Can you get good care in the surrounding area of the school? Or
do you need to go home every other week to get that care?
If you’re an athlete or a performer, do you want your
parents to be able to see you in your games/performances? Do you want them
there every week, or do you want it to be a special once a year type of thing?
Think long and hard about your travel radius before you
start branching out too far. Because sometimes, schools in the Midwest just
aren’t going to work for a New England native, or a Californian just can’t
afford to travel back and forth to Florida.
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