5 Reasons I’m Glad I Went Out-of-State for College

By Kelly Gould
Senior Admissions Counselor

Texas

I’ll admit it. I was a late college decision maker. If you’re like some of my friends and have known since birth where you would go to college that’s cool, but that wasn’t me. There I was, April of senior year and I still hadn’t decided where to go to school.

Would I stay close to home or take the leap and move four states away to Texas to attend Baylor? I really wanted to come to Texas and go to Baylor, but there were fears I had to face. There were the fears I could identify — being far from my family, missing my friends, the distance. But then there was also just the general fear of the unknown. Clearly, since you’re reading this, you know that I ultimately decided to come to Baylor, and I’ve since graduated, lived abroad, and now work here and love it.

But in case you’re in the same boat, trying to decide whether or not to come to Baylor from out-of-state, I thought I’d share the 5 reasons I’m glad I went out of state.

1. Independence
To be honest, the thought of the independence I would have in college was both exciting and terrifying. But more than not having a curfew for the first time in my life (which was pretty great), the independence I experienced in coming to college out-of-state forced me to mature and become more confident in myself. The personal growth I experienced and the confidence I developed helped me after graduation when I decided to spend one year living abroad teaching English.

2. Lifelong Friends
I was sad to leave my friends from high school and was nervous about starting over in making friends, but it didn’t take long to make connections at Baylor. I met one of my lifelong best friends while I was eating lunch on the very first day of college. From Orientation to Welcome Week, Baylor creates a lot of opportunities for you to develop new friendships.

3. Second Families
No one will ever replace your parents and siblings, but a perk of going to college out of state is that you will find second families. An out-of-state friend of mine had appendicitis our freshman year and our good friend’s mom who lived nearby came and took care of her at the hospital until her mom could make it to Waco the next day. You will not be alone. Period. And people will want to adopt you and welcome you into their families and activities.

4. Bravery
Going to school out-of-state made me brave. I’ve always been a dreamer but had often been scared by the unknown. Making the decision to move thousands of miles from home made me realize that I’m braver than I thought I was. I think you’ll find the same thing.

5. Texas
Truthfully, I had my doubts about Texas in general. It seemed like the people I knew who were from Texas just LOVED it and thought it was the best place in the world. Well, I might have been a little resistant freshman year, but I’ll admit that by sophomore year I’d started accidentally saying “y’all.” By junior year I’d bought my first pair of cowboy boots, and by senior year my parents wanted to move to Texas. No matter what stereotypes you have about Texas, it was a great place to go to college and now I really enjoy living here.

I hope this helps ease any fears you may have about coming to Baylor from out of state. If you want to talk more, feel free to call the office at (254) 710-3435.

Sic ‘Em,

Kelly

8 thoughts on “5 Reasons I’m Glad I Went Out-of-State for College

  1. We live in central Wisconsin and our son will be attending Baylor in the fall. As we get used to the idea of this big change and our youngest being 18 hours away, this blog post was very helpful. Thank you. We are looking forward to our next visit to Baylor in June for orientation and Line Camp!

    • I went to Baylor from Green Bay, and after graduating a few years ago, I can say I would never have made a different decision. It’s a great place to be, and the Texan spirit could not be more welcoming!

  2. 1961 leaving Indiana and girlfriend, I put on the golden helmet to play football. As you already know I wasn’t Baylor’s 1st Heisman winner; but married my Hoosier, will celebrate our 51st Anniversary this summer and attend my 50th Baylor class of ’65 Reunion this fall and hope to see all the great friends I made when Baylor was almost as big as A&M. Bonnie is a ’66 graduate & I practice law (my primary reason for attending Baylor) after a J.D. in ’67. Sic’em.

  3. I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. I learned about Baylor from upperclassmen from my high school who attended Baylor. After learning more from Baylor’s own literature. I was convinced it was where God was leading me. My father, however, wanted me to stay close to home.To this day, I’m not sure what changed his mind, but he finally agreed to let me go to Baylor. When my parents were unpacking my dorm room while my roommate and I were at Welcome Week events, my dad decided to go for a walk. When he saw a Baylor student sitting on the ground reading their Bible, he knew I was at the right place. I ended up spending the next six and a half years in Texas earning both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Baylor. This past November, I enjoyed taking my 19-month-old twins on their first campus visit.

  4. I traveled to Waco from Southern California! I applied to a few schools in CA and then TCU and Baylor in Texas. I visited TCU and Baylor on the same day and i fell in love with Baylor immediately. I get homesick but Baylor is my home away from home. The best decision I ever made was choosing to go out-of-state! I’m a Baylor bear for life. Sic ‘Em!

  5. I came to Baylor in 1980 from St. Joseph MO. I have said many times- Baylor saved my life! I was heading down the wrong path and a fresh start was what God had planned. I got a wonderful education but the most important thing I took from Baylor was my life long friends. They are family! My years at Baylor were some of the best of my life.

  6. I came to Baylor in 2007 from Albuquerque, NM. Needless to say, it was the best decision I’ve ever made. The experience of moving out of state for my college experience is the reason why I want to move back to Texas and make it my home. Albuquerque may be the place where I physically grew up, but Waco, Texas and Baylor University is where I grew up emotionally and spiritually. It’s always great to go back “home” with my 9 year old daughter and enjoy the memories.

  7. I CAME TO BAYLOR IN 1977 FROM FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA! EVEN THOUGH I STILL HAVE A “FLORIDA GIRL” HEART:), I HAVE LIVED IN TEXAS SINCE THAT DAY!
    WE NOW HAVE 5 PRECIOUS TEXANS AND THIS BLOG WAS INTRODUCED TO ME BY MY DARLING HIGHSCHOOL SOPHMORE DAUGHTER!!! Thanks Hannah! I know God has a perfect plan for everyone. I can’t wait to see where God plants my last three angels!!!!!
    Thank you BAYLOR for your amazing heritage and future vision!!!! PROUD TO BE A BAYLOR BEAR!!!!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *