In-state versus out-of-state

Queens shares many perspectives, be them religious, national, or ethnic. Another factor into one’s experience at Queens is hometown, be it inside or outside of North Carolina.

Mikayla Sengale (’22), a Rochester, New York-area native, discussed what drew her to Queens. “Definitely the weather, in general, brought me down south.” She found the New York weather cold, snowy and grey most of the time.

She also was not overly fond of the people in New York. “Everyone is very blunt and honest about everything and rude,” she said. 

The best parts of Queens, to her, were the atmosphere, architecture, and the small class sizes. 

“The perfect size to fit in,” she said. 

When Sengale would travel out of North Carolina, she would initially fly, but once she brought her car on campus she had no choice but to drive. She goes home about once or twice a semester because the long distance can be tricky. 

Jen Harlow (’20), from Bristol, Connecticut, shares some of the same views as Sengale, starting with the prefernce of location.

“I wanted to go [to college in the] south, first, but I liked everything Queens had to offer,” she said.

She has spent a lot of time in dense, urban areas with lots of traffic, like Boston and New York City. “I’m just used to people going, going, going,” she said. “That’s just how the attitude is.”

When Harlow first got to college, she said she would go home once a semester, maybe more. Now beginning her senior year, she finds she does not travel back home as much as she used to.

For in-state students, staying close to home provides a different perspective. Kaylee Broome (’22) lives just 40 minutes away from Queens and felt it definitely helped with adjusting to college. “I feel that living closer to home has made my transition into college smoother, and overall more enjoyable,” she said.

Home brings her comfort. “Having the ability to go home fairly frequently has instilled comfort and relief within me,” she said. “When the stress of schoolwork or exhaustion of socialization has built up, I have great peace of mind knowing home’s just a short drive away.”

While these students may come from three different places, they all call Queens home.