William Shakespeare once said "the world is mine oyster."

This once so enticing view of the world does not seem as persuasive to soon-to-be Fredericton High School graduates. The majority of them are staying close to home this summer to work and then attend either the University of New Brunswick or Saint Thomas University in the Fall.

Ashlee S., a Grade 12 student at Fredericton High School, said, "I would love to travel some day but for now I’d rather concentrate on finishing all my schooling and staying at home seemed the easiest route to take." Ashlee says she’ll keep her job at Tender Corn throughout the summer and then start courses at UNB. Not everyone had such a level-headed take on the situation. Some reasons given for staying at home were a bit more capricious.

"All my friends are staying around here," is the reason given by fellow classmate Melissa V. "I wouldn’t want to go away somewhere where I don't know anyone." Melissa currently works at Reitmans but is looking for a change of scenery for the summer. She is taking journalism at STU come September.

"Besides who would do all my laundry and get my meals," pipes in her friend Melinda H., another grad choosing to stick around next year.

Although the reasons vary from not wanting to leave behind friends and family to not being able to afford to go to school away, one sentiment prevails - there’s no place like home.

So whatever happened to throwing caution to the wind? These grads cannot possibly be such straight arrows that they have no sense of wonder or adventure. Perhaps during this time of war, far off places are not such a romantic notion. Or perhaps it is just a question of laundry!