I grew up on the West Coast and went my first year to Bard; I had to fly from the PNW to Chicago, layover in Chicago, then fly to New York, then get from JFK into the city and Penn Station, then take the train up to Poughkeepsie or Rhinecliff, then find a taxi to take me from the station to school. Door to door was around 18-20 hours. It was exciting exactly once, and then it was just an awful, arduous drag.
When my S23 and I made a list we stuck with driving distance (but not within an hour) or direct flights that were under 5 hours and in places not likely to be cancelled by weather.