Apart from college and department ranking, as well as tuition costs, another important factor to consider while choosing a college is its location.
Why is location important?
A University’s location usually tends to decide its tuition fees and cost of living.
Why is location important?
A University’s location usually tends to decide its tuition fees and cost of living.
While this is not true in all cases, it is definitely worth considering for most universities. Most big universities tend to have campuses in suburbs or towns, where land is plenty and cheap. Hence, housing and overall cost of living goes down for the faculty, staff and students, bringing down the overall cost of going to college.
Transportation
Living in a metropolitan city like Boston, Chicago, New York, Miami or Los Angeles will give students multiple efficient, safe and cheap public transportation options such as metro and public buses with extensive networks, which a small town or suburb might not have. Additionally, major centers also tend to have good international and national connectivity through airports, intercity bus stations for services like Greyhound, as well as train stations. Imagine studying at Eckerd College in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida, and travelling from Mumbai, India. After a 16-20 hour flight to Atlanta or New York via Dubai or Europe, passing immigration and customs, collecting bags, then going to the domestic terminal and catching another flight to Tampa, which is the nearest airport to St. Pete. Finally, a 40-minute taxi ride from Tampa to St. Pete to cover the last 24 miles of the journey. Then entire journey can take up to 30 hours! Now, if the student attended NYU or Boston University, calculate the amount of travel time saved.
Climate
I have seen people in Thailand and India take their sweaters out when the temperature dips to 20C (68F). Many have never even experienced snow in their lives. They simply cannot fathom what a -20 (-4F) evening with wind chill in Chicago, Michigan, New York or Boston can be like. Similarly, sunny Florida and California can sizzle in the high 30s (100F+) in the summers. While summers are comparable in most of the continental US, winters are not. If one cannot handle the chill, Universities in tropical climates would be favorable.
Proximity to Family and Relatives
3-day weekend coming up? 1-week Spring break next month? Would you rather spend time and money travelling across the continental United States to spend 2 days with your family, or would you prefer to drive a couple of hours and reach them? If spending time with family and relatives is an important factor for long weekends and holidays, the chosen University’s proximity to them will have a major effect on being able to visit them on short notice, small timeframes and tight budgets.
Cost of travelling home
Peak period travel from US to India can cost anywhere between $1,500-2,000, if lucky. Considering the travel time involved, it is safe to assume that all travel to and fro will be during the summer and Christmas breaks only, which are peak travel times. India to Singapore, on the other hand, is a 5.5-hour trip, and costs around $400-600 even during peak times. Travel costs add up very quickly, especially if the student’s entire family wishes to visit them over a long break.
Hence, the decision behind choosing a college relies a lot on its location, directly and indirectly. Do consider these factors while shortlisting colleges!
Transportation
Living in a metropolitan city like Boston, Chicago, New York, Miami or Los Angeles will give students multiple efficient, safe and cheap public transportation options such as metro and public buses with extensive networks, which a small town or suburb might not have. Additionally, major centers also tend to have good international and national connectivity through airports, intercity bus stations for services like Greyhound, as well as train stations. Imagine studying at Eckerd College in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida, and travelling from Mumbai, India. After a 16-20 hour flight to Atlanta or New York via Dubai or Europe, passing immigration and customs, collecting bags, then going to the domestic terminal and catching another flight to Tampa, which is the nearest airport to St. Pete. Finally, a 40-minute taxi ride from Tampa to St. Pete to cover the last 24 miles of the journey. Then entire journey can take up to 30 hours! Now, if the student attended NYU or Boston University, calculate the amount of travel time saved.
Climate
I have seen people in Thailand and India take their sweaters out when the temperature dips to 20C (68F). Many have never even experienced snow in their lives. They simply cannot fathom what a -20 (-4F) evening with wind chill in Chicago, Michigan, New York or Boston can be like. Similarly, sunny Florida and California can sizzle in the high 30s (100F+) in the summers. While summers are comparable in most of the continental US, winters are not. If one cannot handle the chill, Universities in tropical climates would be favorable.
Proximity to Family and Relatives
3-day weekend coming up? 1-week Spring break next month? Would you rather spend time and money travelling across the continental United States to spend 2 days with your family, or would you prefer to drive a couple of hours and reach them? If spending time with family and relatives is an important factor for long weekends and holidays, the chosen University’s proximity to them will have a major effect on being able to visit them on short notice, small timeframes and tight budgets.
Cost of travelling home
Peak period travel from US to India can cost anywhere between $1,500-2,000, if lucky. Considering the travel time involved, it is safe to assume that all travel to and fro will be during the summer and Christmas breaks only, which are peak travel times. India to Singapore, on the other hand, is a 5.5-hour trip, and costs around $400-600 even during peak times. Travel costs add up very quickly, especially if the student’s entire family wishes to visit them over a long break.
Hence, the decision behind choosing a college relies a lot on its location, directly and indirectly. Do consider these factors while shortlisting colleges!