Growing up, all I’ve ever heard of is people’s intense desire to leave Nebraska. Comments of how boring Nebraska is plague conversations surrounding college, and many people express immense dislike regarding a possible future here. While this rubbed off on me in my younger years, the closer graduation got, the more realistic I became. Soon, cost and efficiency became my priority, and my dreams of leaving the Midwest faded away. But this piqued my curiosity: Did everyone go through this same process? Is it a financial factor preventing people from leaving? Why don’t people want to stay in Nebraska? I interviewed seven individuals about their post-high school plans, and this is what I found out. 

1.Are you going in-state or out-of-state? When were you certain about this decision? 

Matthew Andrew: I’m going in-state because of how much cheaper it’ll be. Plus, my parents offered to let me live at home during college. 

Parker Kovar: I’ve always wanted to go out-of-state for college. I’ve just lived in Nebraska my whole life, and I think 18 years is plenty here. 

Laura Lindsay: I am going out-of-state for college. I’ve known for a while. Probably around freshman year. 

 Holland Robison: I plan to go in-state, most likely to UNL. I was actually just certain about that decision probably start of the year. 

 Ady Borchert: I am going out-of-state, and I was certain probably as early as freshman year. 

 Nailah Picardo: Out-of-state, and I was certain when I was really little, and I wanted to move out of Nebraska, but my mom had told me to wait until I got to college. 

 Emma Miranda: I am still deciding, but I’m most likely staying here in-state. 

 2. What was the biggest motivating factor in your choice?  

 Andrew: In-state it’s like $20,000 verses out-of-state being upwards of 30-[thousand], and I refuse to get a loan that big. 

 Kovar: My biggest motivating factor for going out-of-state is that I’ve lived in Nebraska my whole life. I think it’s a nice state, but I kind of want to see other places. 

 Lindsay: I personally just want to see new places and meet more people from new places. I am not going to be super far, about three hours, which is nice because I’ll be close to family. I wanted to be far away like on a coast, and when I was recruited, I realized how hard it would be for my family to come watch me swim, so being close but far enough was a priority for me. 

 Robison: Of course, my biggest motivating factor was the cost. If I’m going to get the same education for over 55% less, why would I waste my money? The real stuff to spend money on is grad school. That’s when you start looking at big name universities. 

 Borchert: I mean it’s simply that my career relies on a coastal environment and demand for marine science. I think moving to the coast has a lot of cons such as cost of living and culture shock, but to be able to pursue what I love, it is worth it. 

 Picardo: The biggest motivating factor was experiencing a bigger city. I wanted to be in a foreign place where I could meet new people and experience a new city with bigger things to do. I think that throwing yourself into an unfamiliar place feels so exciting, especially for college, but then I can’t rely on my family anymore and they’re not close to me. Sure, I can call them, but it’s not the same and when there’s an emergency, I have to travel a long-distance home. 

 Miranda: Finances were the main factor, as well as programs available for my preferred major. 

3. What are your plans after high school? 

 Andrew: I plan on going to UNO to get a degree in chemistry and a concentration of chemistry education. My plan is to come back to Central and teach higher level science classes, and eventually while working, get a doctorate and become a college professor. 

 Kovar: After high school, I do plan on going to college. I hope to major in both math and physics and hope to get a doctorate in one if not both, but all that stuff is going to be later down the road. 

 Lindsay: I am going to Augustana University in Sioux Falls [South Dakota] for swimming. 

 Robison: Right now, my plans for after high school are to attend UNL (undeclared) and finish my [general education classes]. 

Borchert: I’ll go to university, and I plan to major in marine science and minor in hospitality. Hopefully getting internships at a dive center. 

 Picardo: After high school I want to go into the sports field. I like behind-the-scenes operations, and I want my job to be exciting and fulfilling. I think I can do that with sports. 

 Miranda: I plan to take a semester of school before going on a mission. After that, I’ll return to my academics.

 4. Do you believe there is a stigma surrounding living in Nebraska? 

 Andrew: Yes, I do think there’s a stigma that those who live in Nebraska are more uneducated and more family-focused. It’s not necessarily true, but it’s such a widespread belief that it might as well be true. 

 Kovar: I don’t believe there’s a stigma about living in Nebraska. I think especially Omaha, Lincoln, they’re very nice cities, it’s not like a random country town or anything.  

 Lindsay: I think there is a little bit, I think a lot of people think that everyone lives on a farm and there’s no cities. 

 Robison: Yes, I feel like everyone wants to get out. I feel like people across America just think it’s corn fields. I mean it is, except for in Lincoln and Omaha. I’ve noticed that it’s not that bad and actually could be considered one of the better places to live. 

 Borchert: There’s definitely an expectation that we are boring, or that there’s nothing but cornfields. That’s not entirely true, but there are more interesting places for sure. 

 Picardo: I think so, because people don’t know Nebraska like we do. If you ask anyone outside Nebraska or Iowa they won’t know. It’s actually a really nice place, but there is a huge stigma. 

 Miranda: Yes, especially for those who have experienced or traveled outside of the state. There’s just so much more than what we’ve already experienced here in Nebraska. 

 5. To those going out of state, was cost something that you took into account while deciding? 

 Kovar: For me, cost was definitely something that I had to pay attention to. All the schools in state were a lot cheaper at base, the schools out of state though gave me some bigger scholarships in comparison to their cost, so in-state versus out-of-state tuitions ended up equaling out. 

 Lindsay: It was a little bit, not too much. I ended up getting a few really good scholarships to go [to Augustana], which was very appealing. 

 Borchert: Yes, [I] definitely took that into account. It’s a difficult choice to make to move to the coast right out of high school for financial reasons because it’s going to be hard, but I’ll make it work because the place I’ll be living for the next four years is very important to me and I want to love where I am. 

 Picardo: Yeah, cost was something I took into account. I only wanted to go to an out-of-state school I could afford, otherwise I wouldn’t consider it. I need to find a good medium because I could have fun in a new city, but I also don’t want to accumulate more debt than I have to. 

 And a final word from those staying in-state… 

 Andrew: Staying in state does not mean you can’t get the degree you want. Colleges like UNO, UNK, UNL, UNMC, Clarkson College, and Wayne State offer far more programs than you think. That, or people leaving because they want to live alone, I think are the two main reasons people go out of state. 

 Robison: It’s not worth the money. You will still get the college experience even if it’s 45 minutes way. Also, Nebraska athletics are elite, and I don’t think you can find a fan base like this anywhere else. Would you rather be in a lifetime of debt or be able to start your life right out of college? 

 Miranda: It’s better to be comfortable where you are and succeed in your academics than return with nothing accomplished.