Is living and going to College in Hawaii worth it?

Question

I'm 18 years old and I go to camden County College for free in NJ and after I finish up my two years, I've been thinking about transferring to a college in Hawaii. I'm interested in University of Hawaii at Hilo, and a couple more. I've also been interested in living at Hawaii so I figured why not apply to a couple of colleges that are in Hawaii? Especially if it's at a place I want to live my life at. In that case, I consider it to be convenient because with me being in college at Hawaii, it could help me adjust to the life of Hawaii faster. I am aiming to visit Hawaii for a week or more by early next summer or late spring to familiarize myself with some of the islands, and just to see if this is what I want. I personally think I would love it because I love warm tropical weather all year around, I'm also a surfer just to point that out lol. I'm prepared to work at anything to make this goal successful. So I'm just wondering is this stupid of me to feel like this? I just want to start over, and just see what life is like in Hawaii. So can anybody lend me some advice whether to pursue this or not?

Answer 1

Reach for the stars, were are on this planet now to fulfill our dreams, and Hawaii is yours I say go for it, what else could be better? Go for it. I want to move to England once I'm married and have children, that to me is hard, but for you I say go for it!  

Answer 2

NO its really pretty but the education isn't very good! i love hawaii and it has amazing surf and its just so much fun but if you want a good education then don't go to college in hawaii!

Answer 3

I agree with Madimel.You should take a year off if you don't know exactly it is you want to major in college. Or go to a community college and get your AA out of the way then go to a university. You'll save alot of money if that is an issue. After I graduated high school me and 5 other of my friends moved to Maui and had the best times of our lives. We surfed, wandered through the jungle to find remote areas to jump off of cliffs and waterfalls, snuck into hotels swam in their pools and mingled with the tourists. Hawaii rocks!!

Answer 4

I would never tell anyone what they do is "stupid", you never know the outcome until you actually do it.  Although I say that, I do not think it is a rational approach to school.  For your education, you need to find a program that fits you and your academic needs.  My question to you is what are you going to do after you finish college.  UH degrees don't hold much weight in Hawaii since "everybody" seem to have one.  Maybe you should take one year off school and just surf your brains out and then you can decide what you want to do with your life.

Answer 5

My only comment is that if you are thinking about going to school in Hilo, be prepared for it to be very small town in feel.  I love Hilo, but I'm not sure it would have been the right place for me when I was 18.  But that is just me.

Answer 6

My friend from high school went to a university in Hawaii, and she LOVED it - she went all 4 years and seriously, she couldn't say enough great things about it.  She roomed at the college the first year, then had roomates, she had a part time job on campus, and she studied at the beach.  She loved it.  I don't think it's wierd.  I think it sounds great!

But, you say you want to start over, and I just have to tell you from personal experience - no matter where you go, there you are.  So basically, if you have kind of messed up your life where you are, moving (even somewhere wonderful like Hawaii) will not change who you are.  You have to fix that before any adventure will take you where you want to be.