By Hannah McVay — For seniors, moving away from home proves to be somewhat of a challenge but for seniors moving out of state it is an opportunity for them to experience life in a whole new setting.

Senior Emily Evans cried when she found out she was accepted to Ferris State in Michigan on a full ride basketball scholarship.

“I’m excited to be meeting new people but I am scared to be so far from home,” Evans said.

Evans will be attending Ferris State in the fall semester. She is going on a full ride scholarships to play basketball, which includes dorming with all the athletes.

“I know I’ll be rooming with a basketball player and all the athletes are in one hallway so it should be fun,” Evans said.

For Evans, getting a full ride, the cost of out of state tuition did not affect her but if she had not received the scholarship she would have to pay $13,000 more than in state students would pay.

For students, choosing whether to go to an in state school or out of state school can be a hard decision. Out of state college tuition costs more than staying in state. Costs can vary for $5000-$10,000 and scholarships can make up the difference of whether a student can go to a college they want.

“The cost of going out of state was only a difference of $2,000 with going to Kentucky,” senior Taylor Stupeck said. “My parents and I agreed that it was worth the extra cost for me to be at a school I really enjoyed rather than a place I wanted to come home from every weekend.”

Stupeck chose Kentucky because her close friends seniors Carrie Campanelli and Emma McVay are also attending there. She also liked the university’s nursing program.

Another reason out of state college is not very popular is because students have lived here their whole lives and they are accustomed to coming home every day.

“I’ve been around the same people since I was younger, so I’m excited and scared because it’ll be something totally new,” Stupeck said.

Another student that has chose to go out of state is senior Carrie Campanelli who is also attending The
University of Kentucky.

“I chose to go out of state because I feel like I’ll meet a lot of new people and I also get the opportunity to live somewhere other than Ohio,” senior Carrie Campanelli said.

Campanelli plans to study biology and pre-med at Kentucky. She is rooming with girls she just met this year through Kentucky’s housing portal. The housing portal asks you what you are interested in and matches you with people who answer similarly.

“I’m excited. I’ve already met my roommates who are from Michigan, Missouri and northern Ohio,” Campanelli said. “We all have a lot in common and they’ve become friends I talk to almost every day.”

Choosing where to start the future is a big step for high school seniors but out of state schools should not hinder their decision of where to go.

[Updated Aug. 7, 2017: This article has been reformatted for consistency.]