Where is it?
There's more to 'where?' than just 'how far?' There's cities, the countryside, campuses – it all makes a big difference.
There’s a delicate balance to be struck here.
Many students want to live as far from home as possible. That way they get the degree from the University of Life as well as the University of Wherever.
So you want to go far enough that the folks aren’t going to come visiting too often. (Who knows? They may not want to. Perhaps they’re glad to have the house to themselves.)
But then, you don’t want to go so far that it costs an arm and a leg and takes an age and a day to get home. Especially if you may be popping back for weekends as well as trekking back and forth at the beginning and end of every term. (Not everyone goes home from universities over the vacations, but they sure become pretty quiet places. At many universities, especially in halls of residence, you’re turfed out of your room so money-bags like conference guests can move in. It’s another thing to think about.)
There’s no set mileage that works for everyone. You could settle your choice that way though: decide the closest you want to be, decide the furthest and draw two circles on a map eliminating everywhere outside the doughnut zone in between.
But it’s better to think of distance in terms of time and cost. If you live in Penzance and you pick Aberdeen University, you’re pretty much saying to your folks you won’t be popping home with the laundry all that often. Also, if you live in the Hebrides and choose Ulster University, it may not be that far as the seagull flies, but you’re looking at ferries and planes and all sorts. Big trip, big money trap.
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Last updated on: 03 December 2008