March 19, 2024

Don’t fear the out-of-state reaper

Babbling Brooks column for 0520

In 1976, the Blue Oyster Cult told us not to fear the reaper. The way some high school seniors describe college in another state — far from family and friends — one would think the reaper is coming to claim their souls, taking them from Iowa forever.

There are far more daunting challenges than going out of state for college. It’s going to be OK. With all the high school graduations happening this month, many young people are undoubtedly lamenting how some of their peers will be driving a few miles, or maybe 100 or 200 miles, to campuses they’ve all grown up knowing about.

There are certainly a lot of spectacular things about the in-state colleges and universities. Chances are, if an Iowan is headed to college out of state, there’s a specific connection to that destination, such as attending a relative’s alma mater, pursuing a specific academic program or taking advantage of a cost benefit unique to that school.

There are a lot of pros and cons to going far from home, and finances and degree programs are two of a million deciding factors. I hope that if being homesick or being hundreds or even thousands of miles from home is a factor, those fears will be given the right amount of weight in choosing a school.

If that choice has already been made, know that your long travels were done by many before you. My mother traveled from a Chicago suburb to attend Grinnell College in the mid-1960s, when trains still lugged students and their heavy trunks through the wind and the snow more often than automobiles did.

There is something unique and special about going far away to college, and I would hope athletes wouldn’t write off such an opportunity simply because of the distance. Homesickness is natural, and no one blames an athlete for wanting to stay within an hour or two (or three) of an entire support network, or wanting to be a familiar place.

But there are 49 other states that would benefit from the exchange of culture, ideas and experiences that each Iowan can bring along. College is one of the first critical, useful set of choices many young adults make, while there isn’t a “wrong” choice for college.

I wish I had made a bolder move after high school. I ended up living with my mother for the two years it took me to get an associate’s degree at the community college down the street, and my plans and goals afterward were self-designed and misguided.

I ended up moving to Albuquerque in my late 20s and finishing my degree at the University of New Mexico. There are many fascinating people there, and I will always be proud to call myself a Lobo. College turned out to be an enriching experience for me partly because it was a new and different place.

I just hope there is just as much enthusiasm and anticipation for an out-of-state college opportunity, because it could be a chance of a lifetime. It makes sense folks return to their roots, especially if most of their family and friends are in one county — even if that leads to squabbling over the few government jobs in the area.

Many Iowans seem to have an admirable sense of state pride that I haven’t run into anywhere else, and natives of the Hawkeye State don’t seem to spend much time bragging about how awesome their state is — they let folks discover that for themselves.

You certainly won’t be the last people ever to move far away from family and friends.

Henry Ford once said obstacles “are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” I hope the miles won’t get in the way, and I hope students of all ages don’t see miles as obstacles when it comes to out-of-state opportunities.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at
641-792-3121 ext. 6532
or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com