Is Doing Your PhD In/Close To Home Preferable?

[sentinell]

Assuming you get into two programs that are relatively equal and you have a support network where you live - is it always better to go to the program close by? I want to get out of my home city, but at the same time , Everyone says graduate school is isolating and stressful and doubly so without close and deep bonds and so I’m afraid to move away. 

[DRMF]

Think about how fast you typically form meaningful friendships with others and how you would picture yourself living at either place. Have you thought about what the campus vibe and city life are like at the faraway place vs home? What's your #1 hobby, and are you equally able to keep it going at both places? Do current students at either program say that they feel they have a great support network? Are there non-academic student organization and opportunities to bond with others in the program / school? (Soccer? Ballroom dance? Board game night? Knitting??)

Also depends on your field and how "social" in nature your studies will be. If your thesis will involve collaborating with many different people across disciplines, or interviewing subjects, that's a very different kind of PhD from sitting alone in your office staring at your computer 14 hours a day. Do you know your adviser yet? Are they known to, you know, invite students to Thanksgiving lunch at their house, or let trainees take time off when things aren't working out?

I'm an international student so I don't what to say from personal experience lol

[Crucial BBQ]

Well, chances are if you do move away for grad school you'll be in a program full of students who are also from away.   Your department may have some social events along the way and the school itself most likely has support services on campus.  Truth is, wherever you go you are very likely to isolate yourself from friends and family as you go deeper into studies and research.    It's also a bit awkward to seek support from friends and family who do not know what you [will be] going through.  

The thing with staying local is familiarity.  If you want to get out of your hometown, grad school is as good of a time as any to do so.  

[Sigaba]

On 4/1/2020 at 7:28 PM, sentinell said:

Assuming you get into two programs that are relatively equal and you have a support network where you live - is it always better to go to the program close by? I want to get out of my home city, but at the same time , Everyone says graduate school is isolating and stressful and doubly so without close and deep bonds and so I’m afraid to move away. 

Part of the decision making process could focus upon how one defines "close and deep bonds." If those bonds center around activities far removed from personal professional training and intellectual growth, the value of support one receives can decrease over time. As a for instance, if you are part of an extended network of ball players you'll get the continued benefit of socializing and exercising if you attend a school closer to home. But unless a critical mass of those ballers are going through experiences like yours, you may not receive the kind of empathy you need when you need it. "Oh, be cool, play one more game, what's the big deal?" versus "I get it. Go hit those books." (FWIW, I have a coworker who is an EIT. This coworker is finding out that many friendships are no longer working because work and the underlying activity of the friendships just don't mesh. This person lives at home and is also experiencing tremendous pressure because the family doesn't understand what it means to be an EIT.)

Another consideration is related to the current crisis. The next time there's a need / order to shut it all down and shelter in place, how far away from your home base do you want to be? Let's say you're in a critical phase of your work and the requirements of the crisis aren't too different than your routine. But you're closer to home and you're being asked for various kinds of time consuming support. Will you be comfortable enough to say "No, I have to focus on my work right now..."?