Kim England remembers her mother crying when she left for college.

At the time, England did not understand why her leaving home sparked the reaction it did from her mother.

Now that the time has come for own son, Cody, to leave for Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., she is on the other side of the equation.

“Now I understand,” England said. “I want him to go. I just want to keep him with me at the same time.”

Leaving home for college is a time-honored tradition that students greet with a mix of excitement, nervousness, apprehension and glee.

Some will travel to the other side of country, while others will only travel to the next county.

Regardless of the distance between home and school, moving on to college – and the challenges and joys that come with it – marks a significant transition for students in Lake County and elsewhere.

"I'm excited for everything," Cody England said. "It's kind of like a new beginning."

Picking a new home

The decision about where to attend college, or even whether to attend college at all, starts many months prior to move-in day.

Shannen Cashman and Stephanie Oehrlein both conducted college searches independently of one another. The two friends and recent graduates of Grant Community High School – who academically ranked first and second in their class – applied to some similar schools.

Both thought it might be preferable to attend the same institution. Once each of them were accepted to the University of Chicago, they signed on as roommates for their freshman year.

“When we both got accepted to the University of Chicago, it just kind of fell into our laps,” Cashman said. “It’s a nice perk to know your roommate, and to be friends with [her].”

“I don’t think I would be as excited if I didn’t have Shannen going with me,” Oehrlein added.

The reputation of the university they will make their future home appealed to both Cashman and Oehrlein. Neither one has had a formal tour of the school, but each heard good things by word-of-mouth during their college search.

“I really like challenging myself,” Oehrlein said. “[I] wanted a school where I knew I was going to learn and where it would be tough to be successful academically.”

While Cashman and Oehrlein knew each other the old-fashioned way prior to rooming together, some college students are making living arrangements through more modern methods.

England connected with his roommate, Nick Wells, on a Facebook page set up for incoming Vanderbilt students. Wells, who graduated from Grayslake Central High School, said it seemed to make sense to room with someone like England, a graduate of Antioch Community High School, who lived relatively close by.

“I figured I could get to know him before actually going to school,” Wells said.

In addition to his roommate, England said he connected with other students through Facebook – students he knew he would share a class with at Vanderbilt. Knowing some of his classmates prior to ever setting foot in a classroom was especially helpful for him when it came to larger classes, he said.

"I think it makes you feel a little more comfortable," England said. "You know the people you will be right next to."

Learning a new lifestyle

To help ease the transition from high school, many colleges use freshman orientation programs to assist new students.

Some colleges invest large amounts of time in their orientation programs. Freshmen at the University of Chicago spend a week on campus for orientation before classes begin.

“This is a very big transition for them in their lives,” said Marie Otsuka, a college programing assistant at the University of Chicago. “We’re trying to give them as much support as we can.”

It’s a markedly different experience than what some parents of today’s college students remember. Tracey Tyrrell, whose son Tommy began classes at Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington last month, said the orientation for her son took up a full week prior to classes.

“I think I got dropped off two days before [I started college],” the Wauconda mother said. “They had a quick little orientation.”

Knowing her son is receiving the information he needs for college through an orientation was comforting for her and her husband, Kim England said. As soon as the family arrived on campus, they were greeted by current students and given everything they needed to make moving in as easy as possible, she said.

“I think [Cody] had mentors walk him around campus two or three times,” England said. “It was just really a fabulous experience.”

Saying goodbye

As much as colleges try to make the transition to a new life as stress-free as possible, saying goodbye to home still can be difficult for students and families.

Oehrlein describes herself as a big family person and wonders what it will be like for her and her family to live apart.

“If I go anywhere it’s with them, too,” she said. “It’s just going to be interesting to live without them.”

Tommy Tyrrell was the first child Tracey Tyrrell has had leave for school. Each day since he left has gotten easier, especially after hearing that he is having a good time at school.

Still, sending her son away to school is the hardest thing she has done in life, Tyrrell said.

“I had a hole in my heart about the size of a softball,” she said. “It’s now about the size of a golf ball.”

Physically going to the school to drop her son off was important for England. Now she has a picture of where her son will be spending time and attending classes, she said.

It also helps to know her son is in line for a great experience, she said.

“We feel like he’s been given such a great opportunity,” England said. “I got slightly weepy, but I wasn’t too bad. I tried to be strong for him.”