A READER RESPONDING TO MY LAST COLUMN offered a suggestion that students consider applying to out-of-state colleges as well as our “native Californian” ones. Which raises the question: Are there advantages to looking beyond our own borders?

Well, yes and no.

Looking out of state does indeed take some research and weighing of many factors — some of them not so obvious. Cal Grants (free monies) don’t transfer out of state, so winning one wouldn’t help with attending out-of-state schools. Also, with the recent passage of Proposition 30 whereby the citizenry has returned to its traditional role of funding its own system of higher education, the trend on over-enrolled courses and the cutting back of course offerings ought to decline significantly in the years ahead. (See Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest budget draft and its support for restoring financial backing to our states schools and universities). Tuition costs should also taper down. Taking an occasional summer course or concurrent enrollment class that’s transferable at a community college is also a good, inexpensive stategy — both my kids have used it, and it saved me a bunch of money.

On the other hand, a few states do have a lower annual price tag than our in-state CSU and UC institutions, though four to five years of long-distance transportation costs obviously must be factored in as well.

Should a student take the plunge, the first year they will generally pay far higher tuition costs than residents of that state. (The same ordeal, of course, faces out-of-state students coming to California.) If a student does choose to go out of state, he or she should immediately accumulate proof of when they began living in that state: bill receipts, certified mail, bank/checking account statements, etc. That way, when they try for less-expensive in-state tuition costs in their second year, they’ll have legal proof to show the admissions office.

Finally, check out whether the campus and the particular major at that campus is tied into the Western Undergraduate Exchange program (WUE for short), which may offer certain extra tuition discounts or reduced housing costs, among other assistance.

I’m from New York. Living outside the balmy confines of Northern California can be an enormous benefit to a student; one’s perspective on life, family, priorities, career choice and more can be realigned dramatically. On the other hand, acclimating to the culture, mores, climate, blind spots, biases, lifestyle and discourse of other regions can be quite a startling realization. Whoa, doggies!

But then again, isn’t that part of what real education is about?

However … just in case you’re thinking of staying in the area …

For an enlightening view and history of one of the world’s premier public universities, watch PBS’s “About Berkeley” (visit www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201312041000 to find screening times). Directed by documentarian Fred Wiseman, it’s a real eye-opener!

Rob Peters is a long-time resident of Benicia. He has been a full-time counselor at Diablo Valley College for more than two decades.

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