2 -Geography

Columbia University is in New York City, home to more than 8 million residents. Grinnell College is in Grinnell, Iowa, home to about 9,000 residents.
Like school size, locations have advantages and disadvantages. You could probably go to a different movie theater every night of the school year in New York City and still not hit them all. In Grinnell, there’s one theater, but you can bike around town or even out in the countryside when you’re sick of studying. Again, don’t automatically rule out any location at this point.
More Geography: Searching for a Different Way of Life
Ever wonder what the rest of the world is like? Going to school in a different part of the country can yield not only a college degree but also a new perspective on life in general. If you grew up in Montana, for example, you’ll find life at the University of Miami to be an education in itself.
There’s an ocean, for starters, and probably more pizza take-out places in the city than in the whole state of Montana. Same for the Miami student who heads out to Montana State University-Bozeman and finds no traffic jams and a view of seven mountain ranges from a nearby hiking trail.

Going Away Close to Home
For me, it’s a shorter distance to Georgetown than to my high school, also in Washington. Georgetown draws people from all over the country and the world, and I have one of the shortest trips. I can move in and out easily. I can basically drive up and drop stuff off—25 minutes to get down there. And if I forget anything, I can go back and get it. I did take more stuff that would have been harder to take on a plane. I had a desktop computer rather than a laptop.
My first semester I went home a great deal because I had things I was trying to do. I was able to become an Eagle Scout and complete a requirement for my driver’s education certification. If I hadn’t lived nearby, I wouldn’t have been able to do that. So I was coming home a great deal but only as long as I needed to finish something, and then I went back to Georgetown. I never did laundry at home.
I’ve not been forced to go home. And my parents have given me space—they don’t show up on campus much. So even though I’m familiar with the city and Georgetown, it’s a whole different experience. It’s been the best possible situation for me. And in my junior year I will do a semester or a year study abroad to get away. I might even be interested in New Zealand, which is pretty far away.