A few weeks ago, I represented my alma mater at a college fair. I just started doing it this year, and have only done a couple of fairs, but I really enjoy talking to students and parents about what my university has to offer, but also going through the college application process in general.
The phrase I heard most often during this college fair, aside from "Does your school offer [major - usually nursing or engineering]?" was "My son/daughter isn't going out of state."
Now, North Carolina is a big state. It's not Texas or California, but it's a good 7 hours East to West. The school at the table next to me was from the Western part of Carolina, and he said it was a four hour drive from the college fair location. However, one of the Virginia schools was only two hour drive from the college fair location. My point is that for the parents who want to keep the kids close to home, sometimes out of state is closer.
I know that distance from home wasn't the only reason I heard that parents were hoping to keep their kids in-state. No, these parents limited their kids' college choice based on two magical words: in-state tuition.
North Carolina is lucky to have many state school options, but it also has some amazing private schools as well (e.g., Duke, Wake Forest). And many of these schools have significant resources to provide scholarships and grants that make even expensive, private colleges affordable.
Parents, before you limit your children's college choices based on what you think you know about college and college costs, educate yourself. There are a lot of great resources available, but for the purposes of financial aid, I recommend FAFSA4caster. It provides an early estimate of federal financial aid eligibility and simplifies the actual application for federal aid. Most importantly, it gives you a tangible number so that you can have a real, informed discussion with your child, the admissions representative, and the financial aid office.
hooray keels!
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