The reason I bring this up is that my social chatter for the past couple of weeks is filled with the tension of the college decision. In many ways, the choice of college is somewhat arbitrary, both on the part of the eighteen-year-old and on the part of the admissions departments. Yet, the experiences of college are life-changing. High schoolers worry. So do their parents.
Among my friends, something more than half of the graduating seniors choose a college within a hundred miles of home. (It may be more like three-quarters, since I am not keeping careful track of this.) I am surprised how many choose universities that are within ten miles (about twenty percent.)
Did you come here for your degree and stay? If you grew up here, did you go to college within a hundred miles of home? Within ten miles?
Universities and colleges are big business around here. They shape the society of the area because of the businesses and the activities that are supported by a university town. What would Greater Boston be without the universities?