Preparing to move for college – The Best Advice


College students who are transferring into a new state will have some new challenges to face. Whether you will be living on campus or off campus, moving your belongings will have a few daunting tasks to undertake. College students need to make sure they are prepared this will help make their move more successful and easier.

Transferring Out-of-State Student

An out-of-state student refers to any student who does not live in the state of the public college they are going to attend. You are considered an out-of-state student if do not have an established residency.

What to do before leaving

Important things that you may want to do or consider before becoming an out-of-state college student.

  1. Search for out of state scholarships and out-of-state tuition discounts.
  2. If you were awarded any scholarships during high school, then you are going to want to make sure that they will transfer to your new out-of-state college.
  3. Look for a regional exchange program. It’s like a friendly neighbor, they’re financial aid programs that help reduce of out-of-state tuition costs.
  4. You may possibly have family that live in your new state; therefore, you may be able to establish residency before you enroll.
  5. You may want to hold off on taking summer classes. Don’t do it unless it’s necessary.
  6. Pack and store in advance. Plan this out, know where you are going to live and only take what you need.

Suggestions to Consider

  1. Meet up with close friends frequently, you may not see them for a while. Skype or Facetime just aren’t the same as having dinner or a good laugh in real time.
  2. Travel to the new state that you will be moving to so that you can become familiar with your new location
  3. Meet and greet your new roommates with an open mind. Everyone is different.
  4. Establish a new routine for your new schedule.
  5. Visit the campus prior to moving out of state; make sure it’s definite decision.
  6. Join local social media and be professional on it. To integrate well into the student life, you should be able to find some social media groups with other students who might be in the same situation as yours.

Costs to consider when moving

  1. Moving Costs – If you only have a few items then consider mailing your items. You will need to decide which transportation agency that will help you to transfer all your belongings safely and securely like UPS, USPS or FedEx. Agencies like FedEx provide the packaging material to your door and pick up the packed material for delivery. This kind of service will save you a lot of time and money.
  2. Depending on how far you are moving and how much stuff you must move, you could use moving resources such as U-Haul. U-Haul has centers across the US. They are cheap, easy and reliable. To move your all-important belongings from one state to another you may have to rent a U-Haul. The standard costs are approximately $19 per day, but it will be well worth the cost because it will make your transition out of state easier.
  3. Travel cost for returning home to visit during the holidays. If you don’t have reliable transportation, then check on bus fares and air fares. You may be able to purchase well enough in advance that they may be cheaper. Coming home may never be sweeter than your first visit back home.
  4. Health care: these costs vary no matter where you go, be prepared to pay more not less.
  5. New clothes: depending on how far you are moving away, you may need to consider a new weather climate. It may be colder or warmer and you’ll want to dress accordingly.
  6. Less financial aid: it is harder for out of state students to receive financial aid especially public universities vs private colleges
  7. College Transfer fees: check with your new college to see if they have Out of state tuition waivers.

Out-of-State Tuition

Is there a difference in cost for out of state tuition and admission cost than in-state tuition cost? Yes, tuition cost and admission cost are different for out-of-state students. Whether you are moving into the Dallas area or another area, out-of-state tuition costs are more expensive.

Many factors must be considered when you are deciding to attend college as an out-of-state student and one of the most important factors is cost.

There is a lot of difference between the students who belong to Dallas and the students who came from other states because the students living in Dallas have more information than the students from out of the state.

Each state controls its public colleges and institutions.  Each college and university have different tuition and admission cost because some of the public institutions are funded by the government, so they cost less to students and gave more scholarships to out of state students.

The National Centre for Education Statistics offers us the data to analyze the cost between Dallas and out of state. According to that, the average tuition cost of an undergraduate student was $6,752 and the average tuition and admission cost of an out of state undergraduate student is about $15,742. This means, on average an out-of-state student costs approximately $8,990 more than the student residing in Dallas, TX.

Moving Out of Your Home State

There are a lot of things in which you may experience when you move from your state or to a different state like rent a house, food, transportation, buying books cost, etc.

Just because you’re moving with-in the United States doesn’t mean that where you’re moving to will be the same. You must take into consideration that you may have to adapt to new social and cultural norms, etiquette, language and possibly much more. And be ready to hear, “You talk funny.”

You need to rent an apartment for living and sometimes u have to share your apartment with other people which is somewhat difficult. Unless you are an out-of-state student that has under 30 credit hours then you may find that the college requires you to live on campus.

Food could be a major problem because you may not be familiar with the food outside of your hometown. However, when you are living far away from it’s a perfect time to venture out and try something new.

New Things to Try

What you can find in Dallas, TX? Dallas, TX is famously known for its local hot spots and local college hangouts, such as The Parliament and The Barley House. There are a lot of entertaining places for a hangout for students in Dallas. College students need to hang out and entertain themselves because the study sometimes becomes boring.

It is full of art museums, shopping destinations, libraries, professional sports clubs and a lot of outdoor activities.

If you’re looking for something low key, then The Wild Detective is the best place if u need to hangout or just read a book. You can sit in the bookstore, grab a cup of coffee and can read your favorite book or can do your college assignment.

Does your lifestyle require brisk exercise? Then, venture uptown Dallas to the Katy Trail; it’s the best place for bike riding or a trail walk. Refresh your mind, as a student your workload may cause tension that you don’t want to build up.

Dallas is also famously known for its historical background. Delay Plaza one of the best places for history lovers because it is the place where the former president was assassinated. You can walk through the Sixth Floor Museum which has numerous books on history. 

Out-of-State Transitioning Overall

When a student comes to another state and takes admission into a university in Dallas, TX or anywhere else for that matter, they are investing their money, their life, their carrier opportunities, along with a lot of other things. They leave their hometown and comfort zones. They must make themselves adapt and adjust to their new environment. So, it is their right to know that the facility of education that they are moving to is far better than the one they are moving away from.

Recent Posts