Izzy   Let me first say: CONGRATS!!! What a great accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself. You have obviously worked hard to get to this point!   I would imagine that your mother is afraid of losing you. She wants to hold on to her children and may be afraid that if you leave, you will never come back. For her, it might be easier to say she doesn't want you to go and won't support you than to face her fear of you leaving.   But of course you should take this opportunity. You should make every effort to make it work. You are not choosing between this and your family, you are choosing both. As difficult as this is, it sounds like it is the right thing for you. Hopefully, in the end, your mother will come to see how much this means to you and to realize that you are not turning your back on her, you still love her, and that going away doesn't mean you will never come back. Reassure your mother of this.   You might also want to talk to some family friends or relatives and ask their views. Those that share your wanting to make something of yourself may be able to help you talk to your mother about going away to college.   Eileen