Kennedy Cole, left, and Emma Nichols, right, show their school spirit at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore. Cole’s base tuition, as a resident of Nevada, is higher than Nichols’, whose family lives in Oregon. The number of out-of-state students attending state research universities has risen over the past two decades in virtually every state. (Photo by Elaine S. Povich/Stateline)
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Kennedy Cole, a college junior studying accounting, knew she wanted to attend school outside her native Nevada to expand her choices, meet new people and explore different places.
Emma Nichols, a sophomore majoring in vocal performance, chose a school close to her home in Corvallis, Oregon.
The two friends, Oregon State University tour ambassadors who guide prospective students and families around campus, both think they made the right decision.
Cole said it was scary and tough to be at a school where many first-year students already knew one another or had gone to local high schools, but she found most students were friendly. Nichols said one of the exciting aspects of Oregon State’s campus is the ability to meet “out-of-state students and international ones from a different culture.”