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At the end of the day it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is how much the student takes advantage of their education.
I disagree with all of your points, and I don't think that going away improves any of those besides #4
Most college students are still helpless and rely on their parents even 500+ miles away. I learned more in high school than most of these college kids.
I agree with you.
Most universities that I have researched for my nephews charge $9-12k/ year for room and board. It seems to me that it would be far less expensive to live at home.
Now if you have the means to ink some big checks OR you are destitute and someone else will, why not? However, IMO, it is NOT worth taking on massive debt to head off to school.
I don't think the OP is being realistic with some of the points on their list ... but the overall thought of going away to college is better still stands.
Now, if you happen to live near Harvard, or MIT, etc. and you happen to get accepted, by all means go there!
But the majority of the time the colleges that accept you will be many miles away and even if you only have to go across a city, say NYU, it may still make sense to live near campus than commute and waste study time on commuting.
I know of SO MANY MORE who stayed at home and dropped out.
Community Colleges right out of college are notorious for this.
Community colleges don't do anything - they get everyone, good students and bad. Lots of those kids staying at home wouldn't have gone off to a 4 year anyway. Telling their parents they're going to the local CC gives them a bit of breathing space.
The drop out rate at 4 year colleges isn't exactly low, either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheena12
6. Less temptations more focus on academics. In fact, a 24/7 focus on academics! That is why you are THERE after all!
Oh, Sheena, dear... maybe if your kid goes to a seminary...
My beef with this thread is more or less how unrealistic the OP is. Do you seriously think there's less temptation moving away than living at home? I mean come on what a joke.
I honestly have no problem with going away to a college, I think it's a great experience.. hell even I went away. It is simply the pretentiousness of the OP that gets under my skin claiming that "her way is the best way and it is sooooo much better to go away to college."
Let's face it there are serious pros and cons to both, and in the end they equal out because the only thing that matters is the education you receive. If the kid isn't growing up by living at home, that is the parents fault for still treating them like a little kid. Like I said before, I was more grown up in high school than majority of these college sophomores that you see running around bragging about how much they drank.
The thing about community colleges got under my skin too. A person who fails at a community college is going to fail at a university too. It is not about the school, it is the student not being read for the college world.
Sounds like you lived in a very different part of the country than where I did. There were no jobs without a college degree - certainly none that would allow one to buy at house at 19 (and this was a low COL area). I couldn't even find work while in high school because of the rapidly softening market - so I made doing well academically and getting merit aid and grants my job. I got more money in scholarships than my town's average household income in order to go 1000 miles away (to a place with public transportation) and double majored, double minored, learned one foreign language to fluency, and worked 2 jobs (one which involved a 3 mile commute on foot). All while, as I later found out, I had cancer that was sapping away my energy.
I sometimes wonder when people say things about not being able to go away to college. I could have gotten a full ride had I not gone to such a prestigious school - all because I did what I was supposed to do in high school. Even my brother got a fairly big scholarship, and he had a sub 3.5 GPA.
Commuting would have been much more expensive- involving buying a car, driving over an hour to the nearest college (which was not that well-regarded) and facing less scholarship money due to it's smaller endowment. Instead, I had most of my tuition covered and just had to pay for living expenses, books, meals, and a round trip flight once a year.
You make such good points! Commuting has been found to be more expensive than living on campus. Not having a car - and all of the expenses and potential dangers associated with one is HUGE!
The nearest college to where you live is not always all that near.
I can't imagine choosing a college because it was close. For me, those would have been pretty dismal schools. The closest good ones were over an hour from where I grew up.
My beef with this thread is more or less how unrealistic the OP is. Do you seriously think there's less temptation moving away than living at home? I mean come on what a joke.
I honestly have no problem with going away to a college, I think it's a great experience.. hell even I went away. It is simply the pretentiousness of the OP that gets under my skin claiming that "her way is the best way and it is sooooo much better to go away to college."
Let's face it there are serious pros and cons to both, and in the end they equal out because the only thing that matters is the education you receive. If the kid isn't growing up by living at home, that is the parents fault for still treating them like a little kid. Like I said before, I was more grown up in high school than majority of these college sophomores that you see running around bragging about how much they drank.
The thing about community colleges got under my skin too. A person who fails at a community college is going to fail at a university too. It is not about the school, it is the student not being read for the college world.
Because I differ with you, I am not "unrealistic".
It seems my post, for one so unrealistic "got under your skin" quite a bit.
This is not "my way". It happens to be the way chosen by the most successful people. I did not invent "going away to college" and I'm not inventing the fact that most people who take the time to do their research choose this option.
I am going to guess that you think I am being "elitist" or something along those lines and that you yourself did not go away to college.
I am not one bit elitist. I am realistic. Are you familiar with the attrition rates at community colleges? They are high.
Community College serves many purposes, Great for returning students, wonderful place to take a class in something that interests you, or to get rid of a requirement at your home school.
It has been proven to not be the best place for average to low performing students, and for inner city kids it's been a disaster.
The research about community colleges in not ancient or difficult to access. They have only been around since the mid 1960s.
Because I differ with you, I am not "unrealistic".
It seems my post, for one so unrealistic "got under your skin" quite a bit.
This is not "my way". It happens to be the way chosen by the most successful people. I did not invent "going away to college" and I'm not inventing the fact that most people who take the time to do their research choose this option.
I am going to guess that you think I am being "elitist" or something along those lines and that you yourself did not go away to college.
I am not one bit elitist. I am realistic. Are you familiar with the attrition rates at community colleges? They are high.
Community College serves many purposes, Great for returning students, wonderful place to take a class in something that interests you, or to get rid of a requirement at your home school.
It has been proven to not be the best place for average to low performing students, and for inner city kids it's been a disaster.
The research about community colleges in not ancient or difficult to access. They have only been around since the mid 1960s.
I could easily turn around and use just about every one of your reasons for why staying home is better.
If you read my post, you'd see I did go away... From your post your mind seems a bit one tracked and you fail to see the benfits of both and just go around spouting off "going away is the best". Sorry, but it is not the best for everybody and not everyone should do it. There are many benefits to staying home also.
I could easily turn around and use just about every one of your reasons for why staying home is better.
If you read my post, you'd see I did go away... From your post your mind seems a bit one tracked and you fail to see the benfits of both and just go around spouting off "going away is the best". Sorry, but it is not the best for everybody and not everyone should do it. There are many benefits to staying home also.
I think going away is usually better for the typical middle-class suburban kid whose non-schoolwork-related responsibilities never extended very far past doing household chores or getting a part-time summer job. But money is a big concern for a lot of people, and I don't care what sheena says--commuting to a nearby school is definitely cheaper unless you're absolutely terrible at managing money.
...almost ALL decent students did. It was the rule and not the exception. It still is today.
Your thoughts?
Well, first I am wondering what you mean by "decent"? Who would be "indecent" in going to school?
Then I am wondering if you think the majority of students go away to school. As far as I know, most people can hardly afford tuition and books, so paying for room and board is out of the question.
I am wondering just who is "provincial" in this thread?
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