Semi-offtopic:
OMG my sister almost left OU for said (coughlosercough) boyfriend in the middle of this year. Thankfully, they are now just friends. She realized he is not her future.

My best friend from home was the textbook girl who left her first choice college to follow the older boyfriend to a lesser college. She left OSU after her first quarter (where she was surrounded by other HS friends there too), went to the lesser college where she moved in with the BF off campus right away. She made one college friend there. One, and it's only because they shared a major. (And they are no longer friends). Her major was something that you MUST go to grad school for in order to have a career in that field. BF (then fiance) didn't want her to go to grad school (too expensive, and besides, HE was going to be the bread winner, since he was a finance major), then he insisted they live in our mostly dead-end hometown area. Fast forward 8 years, 3 kids, unemployment (his) and now a divorce... she is working for $10 an hour and living with her mom and her kids, and he also lives with his parents and just found a job after nearly 3 years of unemployment. LESSON TO YOU COLLEGE GIRLS WHO WANT TO FOLLOW YOUR BOYFRIEND..... DON'T!!!!!!

On the flip side:
Theta sister who had been with her boyfriend since their sophomore year of high school and her boyfriend shared the same major (pharmacy!!!!!). She went to ONU, he went to a school on the east coast. They loved each other, both knew what they wanted to be and it was even the same thing, but agreed they had to experience life away from each other. They stayed together through 6 years of college in a LDR (with a few "breaks"), have now been married for 5 years and are expecting their first baby.

/endofftopic


Vi, I always forgot about Malone. I don't know anyone who went there and I think you were the first person I even heard about it from.

So yeah, I'm on Team "Follow your boy/girlfriend to a college for the wrong reasons and I'll throttle you!!!!!!!!!"

This guy on my hall, who ended up dating one of my best friends for a few years, came to college with his girlfriend. He was especially needy, so he probably followed his HS girlfriend to college.

Around the middle of the second semester--she realizes she's a lesbian. OH SNAP. Before this realization, she was his world, so he ended up scrambling to make new friends.

I feel old now. Thanks. :p

How do you know my ex?

Oops, nevermind. I still bat for the same team.

HA! Oh, karma. You win again.

My freshman year roommate was the gf who left her hometown but couldn't live w/o her HS bf. She did everything in her power to get him to transfer, but he absolutely hated the city and school when he visited. Plus, his school was one of the tops for his major and had no desire to move to the East coast. Rather, leave the West coast.

While (AFAIK) girl did not realize she was a lesbian, he broke up with her before spring break, which is wayyyy longer than anyone anticipated.

It's okay. :) I was only born a couple of years after the airlines were deregulated, so I do not know of this world where it once cost thousands of dollars to fly to SF from NYC!

What about safety issues? Would you let your daughter attend a school in an area that is especially prone to crime?

Definitely.

I assume you mean "high crime rate."

Many colleges and universities are in the heart of cities. There is no massive gate to separate the campus environment from the city environment. That's a good thing. My children are raised to understand that most crimes are not random but are instead based on people's routine activities. Be smart, whether you are a college student or not, and you reduce the likelihood of person and property victimization.

Also...how bad are most college towns really? Even those in the core of a city usually have excellent police/security coverage. None of my friends at Columbia or Penn got robbed/mugged on campus, and those schools are in the "roughest" parts of their respective cities.

Actually, I almost went to Temple University. The week or so before I was supposed to start school, someone was stabbed ON the campus! After that, I immediately decided to go to Penn State instead. I guess it all worked out.

The average person in a high crime area will not be victimized. That goes for on campus and off campus.

There are colleges/universities in cities with really high crime rates. At one particular university, someone was shot beside my friend's car one night and her car was broken into the next night. I don't know what the person who got shot was doing but they probably knew the offender; and my friend's car got broken into because she left some items in view. Again, not random so most people will be fine if they are careful and attentive.

As for excellent police coverage, sometimes, but usually not and it really isn't up to campus police other than creating the appearance of safety. Plus, campus police service the campus only. They generally don't cover what happens an inch from the campus border; and they don't fully cover most things that happen on campus (i.e. students who are mugged walking from their car to their door can go to campus police but it doesn't stop there). Lastly, not every college/university has campus police. They have campus security that don't carry weapons and are ineffective without the city police. That's why students have to be observant and smart.

With that said, I survived it, my significant other survived it, and our child will most likely survive it.

I think I would, if she really wanted to. My only objection stems from my sister's experience as a transfer student to UMiami. She of course didn't get on-campus housing and ended up renting a small house in Coral Gables with three grad studends. She was 20, they were around 24, they went out all night and left her alone in the house listening to gunshots all night. She transferred back to her original school and was in love with it :p But my dad has maaaajor beef with Miami (the city) now, and I do understand that.

When my sister was an undergrad and living in her first apartment she kept her 20 bore shotgun under her bed and her .22 S&W in her purse along with her carry permit. She was a first class shot and believed in the concept that when there is one to be buried and one to be tried, "Not guilty, your Honor" I asked her why a .22 cal? She replied that a .22LR had more penetrating power than anything shy of a .45. I learned early not to piss off my sister.
So much for questionable neighborhoods.

I think I may nominate you for Mother of the Year! Obvious, you only have the best interest of your hypothetical daughter at heart.

October 1st will be here before you know it.