I live in the US, and I'm in the process of applying to colleges, mostly outside my home state. I've been accepted to the University in my home state, but since I do live in a red state, I thought it might be better for me to go out of state, to somewhere more liberal where I can live my life openly. The issue is that it's much more expensive to go out of state, so I effectively have to choose between making a smart financial decision and a decision for a higher quality of life. What should I choose? Does anyone have experience with this, and if so would you have done anything differently?
I think you need to decide if you'd rather 'feel safer in a university you know to be in a safer place' or 'study in a place with lesser expenses'. Once you decide that, it will be easier for you to decide what to do in my opinion. Saying that, however, I question if you can actually know how "LGBT-safe" a place can be? Homophobes can be anywhere.
Yeah, I just figured that a generally more liberal city would have more open minded people. I don't know though, I've lived in a red state all my life.
If you feel that you might be able to manage on your own ( safety wise, financially and emotionally) I suggest that you consider attending college in another state. It will provide you freedom to explore your sexuality, also it will help you learn to survive on your own. My friends from India studied in California. They worked as TA and GA to earn. One worked in a bookshop and another in McDonald’s. There will be lot of opportunities to earn. But will be able to achieve a balance? Think about all of these before you make a decision. All the best. Have a nice day. V.
Depends on what you are going to college for. If a college has a better program for what you want to study, that should be a bit more of a priority. If finances are tight, could you look into a community college. Which would have a much lower cost for the education and they are generally in areas with a lower cost of living as well. You need to look at the long term instead of the short term. A college in a red state might not be ideal for personal reasons, but might give you a leg up on finding work after college as an example. Or maybe if money is a concern, a community college in a smaller town would be a better choice.
Hi there! It can be difficult to find the 'right' balance as it were, given the financial considerations; it might be worthwhile to try creating a budget for you studies; usually universities and colleges will have an online living costs and tuition calculator that provides prospective students with an idea on how much their studies are going to cost, and the kinds of financial supports they might need. This could give you a more realistic insight into what is possible; it might also give you options you have not thought about yet or locations you haven't considered. If you were to go to a college, university in your state, you could always look at the kinds of LGBTQ supports they have in place (if you have not had a chance to do so yet). Usually higher education institutions have some supports in place; away from campus things could certainly look/feel differently, but if there is something available on campus it could help to 'bridge' studying in your home state and being yourself.
So the college in my home town in not prestigious or special in any way, it is just the cheapest. It has no GSA and minimal support/ community building opportunities for LGBT people. They do at least have an anti- discrimination policy? And I agree on the financial situation, I guess I was just hoping to have my cake and eat it too.
For what it’s worth, college towns can frequently be somewhat more progressive than the overall state they’re in. You might can kind of look at congressional election results or see what the city government looks like to get a feel for that. That or just chat with people at the university. It’s not always guaranteed to be true, but frequently it is.
Thanks to everyone who responded! I decided in favor of the financial option as being in debt will negatively impact my quality of life more than a couple years of living in a conservative place.
