Is it worth going to college on the opposite coast?!!!!!?!!?

Question

I want to become a pharmacist. In CA, where I live it is really competitive to get into pharm school and now I am considering a 0-6 school where you get in straight from high school. However, I am in an area that I love (San Diego) and with my family. Should I leave the place I've loved for so long for pharmacy school and to pursue my dream. If I stay here nothing is guaranteed and I feel it would be a risk and it would take 8 years if I do make it. The school far from here would be 6 years and given that I will keep a certain GPA, I will graduate will my degree. What would YOU do? I will probably be going to NY or Boston. My mom has a psychological disorder, but I love my granny and my dad and watching football every Sunday with my dad. If I leave I will miss all this, but my dream is important to me too. What would YOU do knowing that pharmacy is very competitive in CA and would require extra work on my end?

Answer 1

I would follow my dreams.  Your family will always be there, but school wont.  If you can get in right away take it.  You can still visit your family and talk to them all the time.  Its not like your going to go 6 years without talking/seeing them.  But thats just me.

Answer 2

When you start college, everything changes anyway.  You probably won't be watching football every week with your dad, and even if you were to stay in California, you might not be close enough to visit more than once a month or so (I grew up in Long Beach and went to school in L.A. - 30 miles, and I didn't see my family more than that).

I think going away to college is a great idea.  I think if I had stayed in California, I would have felt very provincial.  Once I had moved away for a while, moving back felt better.  Get yourself a webcam and a Skype set-up for your laptop, and you can talk to and see your family on a regular basis.