As high school students begin to think, apply and decide on which college to attend, they can be influenced to attend an out-of-state college due to a lack of opportunity or too much comfort in their hometown, according to Julia Rapai ’18.

“I applied to five schools, and four of them are out of state, so I am really looking at schools in different places other than Michigan,” Rapai said. “I think for me, a lot of it is just about opportunity and what I want the rest of my life to look like. There are a lot of good opportunities here in Michigan, but I am attracted to what bigger cities have to offer.”

According to school guidance counselor Aja Perales, there is a division among South students. Some would prefer to stay in state after graduation, but others may decide to leave, whether for a mere summer program or a full-time education.

“I would say we have a good amount of students in-state, but others decide to go to new places and see different things,” Perales said.

According to Perales, many students decide that they want to try something different and have a new experience outside of their comfort zone after graduation.

“It’s nice to try something new; a different life experience outside of the state and something other than things that you know,” Perales said. “Some students enjoy different activities that aren’t provided in Grosse Pointe, and they want to find a school in a community or town that allows them to have both the academic piece and the sort of things that they enjoy.”

According to The New York Times, many high school students are attracted to the independence that they get from attending college in another state. Another reason is the merit that the college or university will provide them if they attend.

Some of South’s freshman, such as Saylor Kinsley ’21, have thought about leaving Michigan after high school. Kinsley said that she has a desire to go out of state for college.

“I want to go to Ohio State because I am too familiar with the area and know everything,” Kinsley said.

According to Kinsley, she believes that other students decide to leave Grosse Pointe and Michigan because they want to experience something new.

“Students who want to leave feel like they’ve done everything here, so they probably want to go out on an adventure and see other states,” Kinsley said.

Although a student’s home can be great, Rapai said that high school students can have a strong desire to venture out of their comfort zones.

“It feels like there’s so much more of the world than what we see here in our town,” Rapai said. “I think that there is definitely a sense of comfort we have and I think at a certain part of your life you get a little bit of cabin fever and you just want to go out and see things you’ve never experienced before.”