Would it be a smart move to go out of state for college even if I'm undecided on a major?

Hi Verenice,

This is a fair question to ask. I think I can shine my perspective on your questions since I went to college in Minnesota straight from China back in 2009. To answer your first question, I was undecided major and admitted to liberal arts college as default. My university has requirements to satisfy before your graduation (history, biology, economics, etc.) to help students explore what they like and what they don't. I transferred to business school after I took economics and accounting classes and I found that I am interested in the relevance between the courses and real life and realized as a business professional, the career it provides really matches my personality overall.

To answer your 2nd question, going to school in a different state/country was scary at first, for me, everybody looks different than me, let alone knowing anybody in school. But the university really provides good programs and orientations to help you onboard and get to know people who are like you or help you transition to college and be independent :) I would say, do your research first on what kind of programs and services that the colleges that you are interested in can offer and talk to the admission office folks to get a better understanding before you apply. For me, I felt really satisfied and proud that I overcame all the obstacles to "survive", got my undergrad degree and showed to my friends and family that I am independent and I could take care of myself and be successful.

Hope this helps! And good luck with your future journey.

If you are undecided about your major, I would suggest you look at medium to large schools regardless of location because you will have lots of options if you change your major. You also want to look for a school with a strong liberal arts curriculum so that you will be exposed to alot of different subjects and a strong advising/counseling /first year experience program to help you decide. If you are undecided you may want to consider your local community college. Community colleges do a great job on the introduction courses plus cost a fraction of the tuition of bachelor's programs. You would get the core courses out of the way and being able to try on a major without the pressure of money. If you want to go to college out of state go for it but be aware some schools will charge double or triple the tuition amount that their instate students would pay. Good Luck to you!