With the school year fast approaching, many incoming seniors are preparing to apply to college, anticipating what may be in store for them beyond their familiar high school walls. Thousands of city students will be applying to community, private, CUNY, SUNY schools, out of state and even out of country schools; whichever best suits their interests.
Many native New York students have had the luxury of not needing a car to commute everywhere, having a local pharmacy practically walking distance from their apartment and never having to worry about finding a good cup of coffee. It has to be amazing growing up in one of the most diverse, fast-paced cities in the world.
Yet when thinking about college, many former high school students have chosen to leave this urban lifestyle behind in search of a more suburban college experience. With a variety of plenty of upstate SUNY schools, a percentage of college freshmen have migrated North in search of independence and self discovery.
Unfortunately the college process isn’t over the instant the acceptance letter comes in the mail. The transition has different outcomes for different people. Many college freshman who go to sleep away colleges are transferring to ones closer to home, out of homesickness and fear that they can’t cope so far from their comfort zones of where they grew up.
Yet I wonder why the transition is so difficult for those who ache for the freedom that can only be found without their parents. It is natural to have uneasy adjustments when leaving home for the first time. If moving back home helps prevent the risk for such behaviors as dropping out, class failure, substance abuse, and depression, then how are we ever supposed to survive without our parents? On the other hand, moving away from pampering Mommy and Daddy for the first time and having to deal with nasty college professors, copious amounts of homework, and obnoxious new roommates can be very difficult. But is moving back home the only solution? Do some colleges give false hope that their institute will give kids the best years of their lives?
These factors must be taken into close consideration, especially when parents are doling out thousands of dollars. How can students know what kind of college is truly right for them? Is moving back giving up, or are we just giving in to our desire to do what ever comes easiest to us?