For example:
I got “lip” (pressure) from various people when D24 had decided where to apply and, later, where to attend. 3 of the schools she applied to were in TX & KY. 2 were in NM, 2 in AZ. For the NM, TX, & KY schools, some said basically, “Ew, why would you want to go to college there?” Some people we encountered had a hard time with the fact that politics had nothing to do with her decision.
1 of her classmates is attending University of Alabama-Huntsville. Another kid is attending Georgia Tech. Both are African-American males. Some may say, “But why would a Black man want to go to college in a southern state?”
Their reasons for choosing those schools had nothing to do with politics.
For 1 kid, he has extended family in that state, so having a support network available a couple of hours’ drive away was helpful + the excellent program for his major was a big draw. For the other kid, the excellent engineering program was a huge selling point. Both are happy with their decision.
My D26 applied to 4 colleges: 1 in state here in AZ, 2 in TX, 1 in OK. Some are horrified by this. “How can you allow your daughter to apply there?”
Her reasons have nothing to do with politics.
MANY colleges & parts of the county were crossed off the list for reasons like:
- too far away. Kid didn’t want to be on the other side of the country from us.
- too cold. This eliminated about half of the US.
- too expensive. This eliminated many MANY schools, including everything in CA.
- too close to a toxic extended family member. Very specific reason, but a very valid one.
- didn’t have the very specific type of major she wanted
- too much focus on football & Greek life
- too “big city,” too “rural,” or too “small town”
- college required church/chapel attendance
The colleges that DID make it on ‘the list’ did so for very specific reasons:
- felt not too far away
- NSA Academic Center of Excellence designation for the school’s cyber security program
- AFFORDABLE!
- not too cold
- of the schools visited that remained on the list, liked the campus vibe a lot
- in a city but “not like in the middle of NYC or Chicago type of city”
- great History electives that she likes
- major didn’t require 1-1.5 yr of Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations
- major didn’t require 1 yr of Chemistry
- college will give her a lot of course credit for her AP test scores
- people on campus seemed “nice,” “approachable,” “easy to talk to” or “people seem happy there”
Her list will upset some people. Her list bothers some. We are ok with that. They are not going to be going to college with her. They’re going with a different flavor of ice cream. Their flavor is great and so is the flavor(s) that my D26 prefers.
If my D26 opts to attend college in TX or OK, we are totally fine with that. It’s only 3.5-4 yr of her life. We’ll go visit. She’ll come home to visit us. If she lands her dream job, she could end up living after college at a whole host of different places based on where the particular job is. Could be in a blue state, could be in a red state. Pretty sure she won’t pick CA, Pacific NW, or northeastern states though (cost + for 2 of the 3, cost+weather).
Life is an adventure. Kudos to the students who are opting to move south for college. They’re young and want to try something new. They should go for it. If they don’t like it, they’ll move elsewhere after graduation. It’ll all work out in the long run.