Good point! For us it really wasn’t about maturity, our kids were more then ready to go off to college, it was about the cost. If it cost and arm and a leg then the school was off the table or we had to hope that financial aid would help counter that.
We also discussed pros and cons without trying to sway our kid either way. We let them know that some locations might take a lot of time to get to and from home and school. If they went far away, they might not be able to come home for Thanksgiving…just something to discuss.
Our daughter studied abroad too and because she chose a college that affordable and didn’t cost a lot to get to, it made it possible. We didn’t go visit her though, it’s her study abroad and we’ve taken lots of trips as a family…
In many cases, students stay close to home because that it what is affordable…it’s not always a maturity thing…