<p>My DH was in Minneapolis for a funeral last weekend. It was bitter cold!!</p>
<p>^case in point, it was 37 last Saturday and 31 on Sunday. For the first week in February, that was WARM…usually it is around zero this time of year…or worse.</p>
<p>The Weather has been bizarre everywhere this year. This is not a year to base one’s opinion about weather anywhere.</p>
<p>Now would someone PULEEZE make it snow in Tahoe this week???</p>
<p>Can’t help you with the snow, we don’t have any either…on the flip side, when it was 126 here this past July, we were praying for colder weather…</p>
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<p>I don’t think the TEMP was 126…the heat index was 119.</p>
<p>Son #3 is an 8 hour drive from home . He has had no trouble getting rides from others ,and usually has plenty of offers to get a ride . One guy even went 4 hours out of his way to drive my son home ! He is a Senior now ,and most likely go for graduate studies 12 hours away .He has had generous merit aid at his present school ,which is why he chose this school. Master’s program is offering generous aid as well . If he commits to a PhD program ,he will get even more funding . He is in Mechanical ENG. and going into Nuclear Eng .</p>
<p>My thoughts on children going away to school…</p>
<p>I consider myself a tuned-in and involved mom. I like to know where my kids are and who they’re with. However, I have been fully supportive of my son (first-born) going away to school (plane ride.)</p>
<p>I realize that I am going to feel somewhat of a shock to the system come next fall. But, I feel that the chance to live in a new environment during those 4 years is a wonderful experience. It can be such an amazing opportunity to ‘practice’ independence within a relatively safe and controlled environment.</p>
<p>OP, I recommend that you remain cognizant of your Mom’s concerns (You will always be her ‘baby’) and make sure you give her every reason to believe that you ARE ready to go away to a distant campus. Mom is understandably going through a transition just as much as you are.</p>
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<p>lateparty, all very true, and I entirely agree with you. And yet the first time you receive a phone call or text from an ill child who isn’t right at hand, there is still a sinking feeling in your gut. :)</p>
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<p>It is - but it sounds like there is progress being made in the process 
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<p>Great advice, and likely very true. Your mom may need a little more time to adjust to the idea than other moms who have posted in this thread, that doesn’t mean she won’t be able to come to an agreement that works for you both of you, in time.</p>
<p>Good thread. </p>
<p>I just want to point out that the OP could also meet a girl from MN while at school in Delaware and still end up moving to MN so that argument won’t help. He could even meet a girl who lives even farther away then mom would blame UDel for really taking her son away.</p>
<p>The other thing is that distance is relative. On the east coast, 3-6 hrs gets you through 4 states. 3-6 hours in Calif has barely gotten you anywhere. It is a 3 hour to drive (without traffic, meaning leaving at 5 am) from L.A. to San Diego and you are still in Southern Ca.</p>
<p>I haven’t read this entire thread, but that’s not going to stop me from offering my two cents (even if it’s been offered before).</p>
<p>The good news about University of Mn is that it is near a large airport and the public transportation to get there is pretty good as well. However the real trick with going far away (despite those Mama concerns, which I recognize as well) are the very real costs that one racks up in flying back and forth. As someone who had to buy a $900 ticket for S to come home at Thanksgiving, you just have to realize that trips home are not standard fare and those big weekends (T-giving, Christmas and spring breaks), even long ones are either going to be very expensive or off the table, depending. The good news in this case is that MSP is a large hub airport (vs the one where my own kid flies out from), but I honestly think you need to look at the time of tyear you’re typically traveling to see typical fares. Our issue is that another larger university is usually crowding the smaller airport near S during specific times of year, and there are no direct flights anymore. Just something to think about.</p>
<p>Also… when we looked at S’s school initially, there WAS a direct flight. Just something to keep in mind. But Delaware to MN isn’t exactly an easy and/or quick drive.</p>
<p>Another good thing about being in a large metro area… let’s say you do get sick or something else… Mpls isn’t podunk Iowa, just saying. It’s a very sophisticated metro area where you won’t be short on services (drs. etc) if you’d need it. Son is in middle of nowhere, and while gorgeous, the fact that he can’t easily come home AND can’t easily find certain professionals in the small town AND on parents weekend’s I can never seem to find the hotel rooms is frustrating for both of us.</p>
<p>And there was a time when I really needed to get out there and it was nearly impossible without paying a huge airfare. While the School has been awesome for my kid, I agree, I really dissuaded D from looking at any school needing to use that airline. The thing is, the “cheaper” airports are all two hours away at least… </p>
<p>D has looked however at a school on the west coast… and while that won’t be easily gotten to either, at least my sister only lives an hour away.</p>
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<p>True…but DO check the prices. DH has travelled there on business, and friends for pleasure, and the ticket prices are VERY high. In fact from OUR airport, it is $200 LESS round trip to fly 3000 miles away (completely across the country) than to fly to Minneapolis.</p>
<p>While I would not try to persuade my kids to stay near home, I will say that it’s much, much easier and less expensive for the whole family when that’s the case. DD went to college 3000 miles away. Three years later, DS chose a college 60 miles away, and the difference was like night and day.</p>
<p>As far as independence, the difference was surprising. DS actually experienced more independence. He had a car so he could go back and forth at will. At the beginning of each year, with the exception of the first, he just threw everything in his car and took off; no planning air travel with the folks, no needing help with storing belongings or making decisions about whether and when to come home for T-giving or not. He rarely needed to consult with us about anything. Dd, on the other hand, was always needing to check in and ask advice about what to do about storing stuff, what plane to take, what to bring home, etc. We also felt we had to visit her school more often because she couldn’t always get away. One year, we were the parents of the suite who flew out to help the girls transport their stuff to a storage locker, as they were too young to rent a car. We wanted to visit anyway, so it was no problem, but the whole issue was moot with our son. He just packed everything up in his car and unloaded it in the middle of his bedroom for the summer. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>That said, the primary driver in picking a school should be the program and the fit, not the distance. It’s a factor, of course, but I wouldn’t want it to be the deciding factor.</p>
<p>I have checked prices and I have NEVER paid more than $200 for a plane ticket. Business travel is completely different as they are often last minute prices. You do need to plan ahead. We flew to DC, 5 of us, for $650 total…that is pretty typical of what we pay. Spring break last year to Phoenix, tickets were $155 each. Very reasonable. Thanksgiving, sure you are going to pay a lot more than that…</p>
<p>Airfares have really gone up, 30%+ for this spring. You can’t fly from MN to NYC, DC or Phoenix for less than 300, and that’s with a month out. Last year I was able to fly from Mexico to EWR for 350, then it was 550, now it is between 700-1000. For people who are on a tight budget, it could be very hard to deal with such a big fluctuation of price.</p>
<p>When my D wanted to go to school 800 miles away, she pointed out that it was nearly $15k cheaper than the college my H wanted her to attend which happened to be closer to home. When I told her we’d have to be judicious about her travel home because of plane ticket costs, she said, “You can buy a lot of plane tickets for $15k.” And she was right.</p>
<p>So if MN is $10k cheaper out-of-pocket than UDel… that’s a lot of plane tickets. (The key is the out-of-pocket part).</p>
<p>I went to college an hour away. I went to grad school 18 hours away. My first job was a 3-day drive away. 2nd job was 600 miles away. 3rd job was 3000 miles away. Then DS was born, and shortly thereafter we moved back to near where my parents were. We now live on the same street. I’m grateful to be close enough to them to help them out as they need it. So, you never know. Tell your folks that just because you may go to college far away, that doesn’t mean you won’t end up nearby as working adult. I never would have predicted that for myself.</p>
<p>I am looking to buy an apartment in NYC, just found one which is made up of 2 apartments - one with 2 bedrooms, and a studio next to it. I am wondering if I could convince D1 to move into the studio.:)</p>
<p>Warning - For college towns, holiday airlinetickets (especially Thanksgiving) can be pricey. I know this to be true in Boston, though easier for the schools that have the full week off and more flexible travel days). Plan to pay dearly or have your kiddo stay near campus.</p>
<p>Distant schools can definitely cause students to rack up college expenses. If there is a big scholarship involved, it might be worth it. If the family is already stretching for steep expenses, it could be a strain.</p>
<p>The first year DD was in college, her tickets home for summer and Christmas were $199 each round trip…booked as soon as available. By her senior year, the same tickets were $400 at least. These were coast to coast trips on southwest airlines.</p>