Close to home vs out of state: Did location play a part in your program choices?

[renea]

So I'm curious to hear from some people who have already attended/are currently deciding on programs to apply to- how much did location factor into your decision? (there is a rant below so feel free to skip that and just answer if it's too much reading)

 

Backstory: I'm originally from Texas. I went to undergrad about 2/3 hours away from where I grew up and loved the city I was in. Fastforward to MA applications and location didn't factor in at all for me. After asking for recommendations of programs that fit my interests I realized the closest program I was applying to was Oklahoma. I didn't necessarily avoid being close to home, I just didn't find any schools that were a fit for me. Now that I'm applying for my PhD this fall I'm looking at some completely different programs and one happens to be very close to where I did my undergrad (research interests changed, as they often do, and now this programs makes more sense for me). The problem is going home. 

Now that I live across the country going back home seems weird. I've enjoyed the independence my husband and I have had, especially since living so far away has meant that we are less obligated to go home outside of major holidays, breaks, ect (I don't mean to sound like a crappy daughter, but being newly married and having grown up in the same area, we often spent all our breaks/holidays/birthdays/and a lot of Sundays visiting relatives and we've really enjoyed traveling and just spending time together since we've moved). On the upside though we also miss the area we were in, a lot of our friends, and having the ability to pop in and spend an afternoon with some family instead of planning months ahead and spending a lot of money to go visit. We've also talked about having kids in the next 5/7 years, and I do see the benefit in being closer to family at that time. So I've noticed on a lot of people's CVs in my field either people tend to move around quite a bit while others stay in one spot: can anyone add their own experience?

 

TLDR: Did you move for graduate school (or are you looking into programs that are far away), what factored into that decision, and if you didn't do you feel like that has affected/will affect your prospects in the future?

[samman1994]

Hello,

I haven't attended yet, but am currently in the process of selecting schools. My number one priority is research, so if a school is far away, but has the research that I like, then that's the school I'll pick. That being said, there are a lot of programs that fit my interest, and one of them is relatively close to home (about 150miles or so). Originally, I didn't really care much when searching, but as the time draws closer, and all my other schools were literally all 1k+ miles away, the realization that I may not see my family and friends is becoming more and more of a reality. However, honestly, that doesn't bother me that much, my main issue is my gf. We've been together for 3 years, and I know, I personally cannot do a long term relationship, it's just my personality. I love her, and have no intentions leaving her, but I already know that on my side our relationship might not last if I leave far away.

I have not touched my list despite that, but now my number one choice has become the school nearby, instead of the other schools solely due to location. Honestly, I'd love to travel, get out and see the world, and have a new experience. I'm the type of person who doesn't really need someone either, I can just pack my bags and go adventuring by myself. That being said, having a companion with me (especially someone I love) makes the experience 10 billion times more enjoyable. My gf cannot move with me, she has her own career goals here, so that's out of the question. So for me, if I can get into the school relatively nearby, I will. It's far away that I will have my own independence, but close enough I can just drive home on the weekend and visit (or even weekday theoretically).  I'd like to travel and adventure, but I'll just do that when I actually have money. I am in no rush for kids, so after my PhD, once I get a job and some money, I think I'll just take a couple years to travel the world with my GF (who will hopefully be my wife at that point). 

Honestly all comes down to the type of person you are. I don't have much tethering me home aside from my gf (I love my family, but I've spent 20+ years with them, I think I'll be fine). So honestly I'd have no problems going anywhere and jumping from place to place. I should say this though, I was not born or raised where I live now. I was born in Iran, then came to America when I was just a kid. I was raised in Florida for over 10+ years, then came to California for my teenage years. I always looked at Florida as my home, but after visiting recently, so much has changed, I don't even recognize it anymore. California isn't my home, and now Florida isn't either, so I really have no home in my eyes. The world is my home now. My gf is different, she was born and raised in the same house, in the same area. To her, leaving here is somewhat scary and completely new/uncomforting. She'd probably stay in this general region her whole life if she could. 

In regards to your final question. The program I will be going to is still exactly what I want, on par to the programs in the other locations. So I don't think it will really effect my decision except when it comes to brand name. One of the schools I'd be applying to is Harvard, but again, the school nearby (not a big name), is the one I'd pick. I don't think it'll effect my future that badly though, maybe just a small loss since the name Harvard itself probably would make it easier to find a job.

[snoves]

I'm currently applying for programs for my MS/MA and staying in California is really important to me. I'm finishing up my undergrad right now at a school about 5 hours away and I plan to attend a grad school where I'm still within a 6 hour drive or so. I worry all the time that my grandparents will pass away while I'm gone at school and I won't be able to say goodbye (I grew up with one set living a 5 minute walk from my home and the other set a 10 minute drive to the next down over). My family also lives in a very beautiful area with lots of hiking, state parks, beaches, etc. which makes it appealing even outside of family to me.  In-state tuition is also a big plus!

If I had to move out of state to find a program that fits my interests I would, but I'm lucky since California has so many great programs for my field!

[renea]

12 minutes ago, snoves said:

I worry all the time that my grandparents will pass away while I'm gone at school and I won't be able to say goodbye (I grew up with one set living a 5 minute walk from my home and the other set a 10 minute drive to the next down over).

I think this is something I worry about as well. My mother passed away two years ago (when I was still near home) and while I didn't get to say goodbye, I did have the chance to see her often. My husband's father passed away a few months after we moved and he had not seen him recently when he died. I think part of me does feel some guilt about that.

[cowgirlsdontcry]

I'm a non-traditional student who, during my first career, lived all over the place (mostly Houston/Denver). I grew up in central Louisiana and when I divorced seven years ago moved back to that area. I did BA/MA at the state university located near me. During my undergrad program I spent a year at UMass to see how I would like the area for grad school. While I did like both the university and the area (winter was awful), I was happy to come back and do my MA at my undergrad school. The weather and even the heat is nice in the South to me, so when I made application to PhD programs, I applied to universities in the South from Texas east. I would have loved to be in Houston where my daughter lives, but I did not have the same interests that Rice University focuses on (early American lit), so I was not admitted there. I also did not care for U of H so did not even apply. Eventually I ended up at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. I love it here. The city is not a mega city and my students are from all over the US. UA has a good general American program and although my interests and focuses are in contemporary American lit (primarily 20th C), I do some research in early American lit, which is important for my dissertation work. The only person not happy was my daughter, but after she researched things to do here, she came around. I found a cute little cottage about a 5 minute drive from the English Department. My belief is that although a good portion of our life is spent at the university, we must have a life that has other things as part of it. If I had gone to a university in a place like NYC I would have been excited for the short term, but unhappy down the road. Here, I can go sit on the porch swing and just relax, watching people out having fun or read a book. I would be indeed lucky in NYC to have more than a shared apartment. Here I get the whole cottage to myself (and, of course, my doggy Gus). It's really about what you want. Don't settle. Find what appeals to you on a broad basis and apply to those schools.

[Concordia]

Circumstances will vary a lot, so don't take too much advice here.  My own adventure starts in the UK, where I will be a 7-hour flight from home at least half of the year.  (Something like 8x3 weeks, with serious vacations.)   I got along well with my supervisor during a part-time (modular) master's, and pretty much everything else I like to do will be close at hand, in quantity.  And a lot of the "bugs" that would bother some younger students about not being in a US program are actually features for me right now.

Luckily, my younger one is 18, and while needing a fair bit of support, is in a decent school/home environment to get it.  Parents are aging, but not in any need of assistance that can't be given on my terms, at the moment.  

Others will have very different requirements, and YMMV.  So do what will work for you, and assume that very few mistakes are irreparable if made thoughtfully. 

[fuzzylogician]

Starting grad school for me meant necessarily choosing to be away from home (as in, a multi-hour, cross an ocean, expensive flight), because I just couldn't get the training I wanted and needed near home. I don't think I could have had the career I do now if I hadn't left. So, for me, moving was basically unavoidable given my career choice. I did decide to stay in the US after I graduated, which was more of a free-willed decision, not that there were that many jobs in my home country. It's hard, and gets more difficult as my parents age, but I accept this sacrifice. I have succeeded in at least staying on the East Coast, and I've been able to go home when I really needed to, so that's something. This is a very personal choice. I love going home, there's something very special about dedicating some substantial amount of uninterrupted time to friends and family (since I don't do it very often, I try to stay for at least a couple of weeks), which I didn't used to do before I left, when I would just visit for an afternoon or a weekend. It's different than being there all the time, watching children grow, etc. But such is life, you have to made these choices. 

[krapp]

No factor at all. I stayed close to home for undergrad (about 2 hours away) but then moved about 3000 miles for the masters and 2300 miles for my PhD now. For me the main factor was always a combination of program quality, research opportunities and funding. Location can be a nice bonus but in the sense of "this is a nice/interesting place to live". Distance from home was really never a factor, at most I saw it as a nice perk if it happened to work out but not something to aim for as its own goal.

Of course, that doesn't mean it's for everyone. I have good friends who pursued degrees closer to home and are doing quite well. Typically they are drawn more by the support structures that having family and friends nearby offers. That can be really important during the stress of grad school and if you're someone who leans a lot of family support it's really worth considering when you're making these decisions.

[snoves]

4 hours ago, renea said:

I think this is something I worry about as well. My mother passed away two years ago (when I was still near home) and while I didn't get to say goodbye, I did have the chance to see her often. My husband's father passed away a few months after we moved and he had not seen him recently when he died. I think part of me does feel some guilt about that.

I am so sorry to hear that. It's no good to feel guilty about it though...I'm sure that he knew how much you both loved and appreciated him. I know that saying that really does nothing to get rid of the feeling but it's true. I think that a lot of people who are close to their family worry about that kind of stuff, even if everyone is in good health. The good thing is that they know that you love them and that life gets in the way sometimes.

[rising_star]

On 9/2/2017 at 10:47 AM, renea said:

TLDR: Did you move for graduate school (or are you looking into programs that are far away), what factored into that decision, and if you didn't do you feel like that has affected/will affect your prospects in the future?

I moved over 1000 miles away for undergrad so moving away from home for grad school wasn't a big deal to me. I applied to schools near home and family but also lots of schools that weren't nearby when I was looking at MA programs. I ended up at one where I had family about 90 minutes away but, the family wasn't a factor. It was the program I wanted, had good funding, and gave me the chance to have an excellent advisor. For PhD programs, I looked everywhere in the USA and ended up over 2K miles from where I grew up. Part of being an academic (especially on the TT) is being willing to move almost anywhere for a job... I'm probably less flexible now that I'm done with grad school for a variety of personal reasons. Even still, I'd pick up and move wherever for the right opportunity (what's right of course will vary from one person to the next).

The only way in which distance from home/family factored in was that I looked up the price of flights home for the holidays and calculated that into the budget when trying to ensure I could live on the stipend being offered. Oh, and the travel time to make that trip. Otherwise, it wasn't a major consideration.