<p>DS is a 5 hour drive away, he came home for all breaks but no other weekends. Next year he will be making an extra trip home for his sister’s Confirmation.</p>
<p>The hard part is that Thanksgiving and holidays, the time you want your D to come home, is also the hardest & most expensive time to get plane tickets. I have friends whose kids go to college only 1 hour away, sometimes their college kids bring their college friends who live far away home with them for the holiday. The faraway kids don’t get to go home, but they’re not lonely on campus and they get to experience another family’s traditions.</p>
<p>I don’t think the long distance has to be a deal-killer when choosing a college, but your D needs to be aware of it and understand the complications it adds. </p>
<p>If she’s at a very top school like HYP, the student body will be from a very wide geographic area, so she won’t be alone in having travel issues. If she’s at most other schools (including many top 50 LAC’s) the student body will have a larger percentage who are closer to home and CAN go home more frequently. Just something to consider.</p>