LAUNCHED / By Cameron Green

The 2006 movie Failure to Launch inspired my mother to push her children outside their normal orbit. As the youngest of three, going away to college was something I had seen done successfully. Can traveling out of state for college be a learning experience that the youth should be more open to? On average, only 11% of students travel more than 500 miles away from home to college. Although this is only a small portion of soon-to-be collegiate students across the country, this journey out of one’s comfort zone to further their education can , in fact, be an eye-opening experience. When it comes to choosing whether or not to attend an in-state or out-of-state college, there are many variables that should be considered. It is key that students not be afraid to leave and base their final decisions on academic options, extracurricular activities, campus life, and scholarship offers. When asked, “What do you think traveling out-of-state for college did for you?” Ms. Matthews, a recent college graduate, had this input, “going out of state for college showed me just how diverse and unique people are. It afforded me the opportunity to see how vastly different people live and how geography plays a huge role in how people view the world around them.”