As far as the American cinema scene is concerned, going to college is an opportunity for a student to define who they are away from their families and move into their adult life. And for many students, that's totally what they're going for! Nothing wrong there. But for another sizable chunk of Generation About-to-Live-the-Dream (your TXGU'ers included), it's more important that they start shaping their future in a way that keeps them close to their past.

Of course, there's certainly nothing wrong with choosing to stick close to family and friends—in fact, smaller, closer-to-home colleges can provide an excellent education (with good, free food and no-quarters-required washing machines just down the road as a perk) that can launch a student into the career of a lifetime just as easily as any big-name, farther-flung university. However, we found a study claiming that even if the difference between tuition costs are fairly negligible, students that might have been on track to transfer to a bigger pond after a few semesters of smaller college may choose to stick around their hometown instead. And if their field of study would benefit more from the resources of a larger institution (not every campus is going to have a 24-hour media library or a built-in observatory), staying put could end up being something that holds them back—home-cooked meals notwithstanding. 

If you suspect that any of your students might be thinking of staying in their area JUST for the sake of sticking around, you might want to keep on keeping on with letting them know about their opportunities outside the county lines. After all, educators' sage advice speaks louder than mom's pot roast.