One of the most difficult parts about senior year is deciding what you want to do after high school. There are plenty of options, from trades to college, and there are no shortage of decisions to be made. One major decision includes the choice of staying close to home or going further away. Both have their pros and cons, and are great options, but it just depends on each person’s wants and goals.
Yaretzi Jimenez is a Rocky Senior, and she intends to go to a four year college and earn a degree in psychology, and continue to play volleyball. She is planning on going to Augustana because it is a local school that she has grown up around, saying, “I have always loved the school and campus since I was little, and I really love their sports teams.” There are a lot of good and bad aspects of staying close to home, just like there is for any college, close or far. Jimenez is planning on staying in a dorm room on campus, though she does say, “Also knowing I will be less than ten minutes away from home will be comforting, in case that I need someone or something.” Yaretzi is choosing to stay close for a lot of sports benefits, as well. Some major advantages Jimenez mentions are the option to go home and wash laundry for free, seeing her pets and family as often as she pleases, and also just knowing the area already, knowing the campus and spots around town is a huge advantage. Jimenez does not have many disadvantages to attending Augustana, saying, “A disadvantage would probably be the fact that I know the area so well already that I feel like I might get bored of always seeing and being in that same place I’ve known my whole life.” But overall, there are not many disadvantages to Jimenez´s decision.
Audrey Long, also a Senior at Rocky, is choosing to go a little further for college. Her goal range is one to four hours away from home. Long states, “I want to go to either the University of Iowa or the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign because I’ve grown up as a fan of both, and always pictured myself going to one of them. I also am a big sports person, so I wanted a sports heavy school that isn’t too far from home.” Audrey has a strong idea of what she wants to do and wants to pursue, and leaving home is one of what she sees for herself. There are pros and cons of leaving, as well as staying home, and one Long listed was, “I am choosing to go farther away because I think it will be good for me to be independent. It will give me the opportunity to be more social and try new things, while I still have the option to come home if I really need to.” Long also said, “The advantages for me are that it’s a fun change of scenery, and you are open to brand new opportunities, however, a huge disadvantage is being far away from my family.” Ending high school and starting a new chapter is scary, no matter what.
Leaving for college is difficult, no matter if you’re deciding to stay close to home, or go somewhere far, leaving is hard no matter what. One thing that is important is to make the decision based on yourself as an individual, not the decision others are making. Both going away and staying close are great decisions; they both have their own advantages and disadvantages, it all depends on the individual.
