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By Lauren Hett, senior
In a recent survey of 50 Friends University students, 64 percent voted to leave Wichita after graduation. Many plan to attend graduate school elsewhere, while others feel that job possibilities are better in bigger cities.
“I want more adventure,” said junior Heather Magby. “I want life to be exciting.”
A Kansas native and double major in health science and Spanish, Magby will attend medical school in another state when she graduates from Friends.
Sophomore music theater major Joel Domenico also plans to relocate. “There are bigger opportunities outside Wichita,” he said.
However, not everyone is ready to leave.
Of the students surveyed, 24 percent voted to remain in Wichita after graduation, while 12 percent were undecided.
The survey, which took place April 19 and included traditional undergraduate students of all ages and disciplines, found that upperclassmen were more likely to stay in Wichita.
“It has the convenience of a big city but maintains small city values and friendliness,” senior Roman Rodriguez said. “We benefit from short commute times and low cost of living.”
Several students listed cost of living as a plus for Wichita.
“The low cost of living forces people to create their own opportunities here instead of moving to a big city where the cost of living is higher,” said senior Leslie Edwards.
Edwards speculates that many students will choose to stay in Wichita when they realize how expensive it is to live in larger cities. However, she admits that Wichita’s entertainment value is lacking.
“If Wichita wants to keep people here, they need to have more things for young people to do,” Edwards said.
Magby feels a lack of communication is the biggest problem.
“There is so much going on that I don’t know about,” she said. “The city needs to publicize stuff more. Younger people aren’t reading the newspaper or watching the news as much. Wichita needs to find ways to advertise to them.”
Students may be surprised to learn that MONEY magazine listed Wichita as the ninth Best Place to Live in the United States in 2006. The magazine compared cities in eight categories, including financial situation, leisure and culture, health, and overall quality of life.
Sophomore Derek Base agrees with the ranking.
“Wichita is a good-sized city with plenty of entertainment and things to do but still easy to get around,” Base said. “The suburbs are really nice places to live, and I like the family values that are present.”
Though most students plan to leave Wichita after graduation, some have come to appreciate its low cost of living and unique combination of big city pace and small-town friendliness.
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