Where one choses to relocate normally starts with a job or written offer (and not wishes) bec INCOMING CASH FLOW from your job/salary is KEY. Additionally how much savings you were able to put away helps bec BEING INDEPENDENT has more to do with CASH FLOW + SAVINGS meeting your CASH OUT FLOW paying your monthly expenses. Yes, going to college and graduating with a degree in a difficult major does open doors to job opportunities and eventually financial prosperity but if your parents or a scholarship is not covering the high costs of tuition and room board, well then you must apply for student loans etc and such expenses will just add to what it costs for a room/apartment plus utilities plus food to survive.There are many good colleges in the Metro DC area and due to the rising costs of tuition expenses, many students are going the cheaper COMMUNITY COLLEGE route earning 2 year Associate degrees and then transferring to the larger 4 year UNIVERSITIES...Food For Thought and Best of Luck in Your Future Endeavors!
Agree with above about cash flow--if you re moving to the DC area, you want to know how you re going to support yourself.That said, if you know that you want to go the college route and know how you re going to pay, may I recommend the University of Maryland? I grew up in deep suburban Pennsylvania, ended up going to UMD, graduated, and have stayed in the area. It s a respected school but not impossible to get into, has a lot of great resources, and--crucially--is very large with a lot of different colleges in it, so when you inevitably decide to change your major, you have lots of different options and won t have to transfer to a different university. There s also a lot of emphasis on real world usefulness--getting jobs and internships, using the resources in the DC area. And Maryland is nice because it has a true college campus with grassy lawns and dorms and brick buildings, but it s also an easy metro ride into DC so you can have the urban experience too. If you re trying to transition into big city life, it can be a nice stepping stone and less expensive than attending a college in DC and paying to live downtown.I did know someone at UMD who had to support herself (no money from parents). I m not saying it was easy, but she managed by being an RA, which gave her free housing, and by working at the IKEA 10 minutes down the street (IKEA gives benefits like health insurance).