Brandeis vs Bowdoin

[Lindagaf]

I see you posted last year asking about living at home and attending college. You said last year that this possibility is very important to you.

Will school let me live at home in my first year?

I live in the Boston area, so I am driving distance away from many incredible schools. I am a junior in high school starting the college search, and I know this factor sounds strange to most people but I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to continue living at home with my family. Obviously, I am around AMAZING schools (BU, Harvard, BC, Wellesley, Tufts, Northwestern, etc.) and I am very interested in applying. However, when I look on the websites, most schools say they require first-years and sometimes even second-years to live on campus. Would schools let me live at home if my parent’s residency is within a close radius? Doesn’t that seem like a fair accommodation? Please do not give me the college-is-a-time-to-go-off-and-grow lecture; this condition is currently very important to me and I want to fully understand how attainable it is at these amazing schools.

What steps have you taken over the last year to address whatever issues you have? Do you have a therapist and have you discussed how to address your issues when you start college? Do you feel that you are ready for college in August?

In your shoes, I would ask Bowdoin if you can have a car on campus, and provide documentation as to why you need one, if necessary. I’d also have your parents take out extra insurance so that if you decide you can’t handle being at college, they won’t take a total financial hit should you withdraw.

I think it’s very important not to choose a college based on the mindset that you can escape if things are tough. The whole point of being at a residential LAC is that you become part of a community. Long time users see posts regularly in the college life forum from kids who spent the entire first semester going home every weekend because they felt homesick. Then, they think they chose the wrong school because everyone else has friends and is part of the community. Students get to know one another by living on campus, eating together, joining organizations, hanging out at the weekends, and yes, having discussions with other students and professors.

I hope this doesn’t come across as being harsh, but you can’t be part of a community when you are busy escaping. It’s not reasonable to assume that students will make an effort to get to know someone who goes home all the time. This is the main reason why I think you should attend Bowdoin. I fear that if you choose Brandeis, you are not going to enjoy your college experience, but more than that, I fear that you are doing yourself a disservice. Students learn best when they are happy in their environment. You clearly are worried that Brandeis won’t be as good as Bowdoin, but your fear of the unknown is making you doubt your gut instinct. That’s how it seems to me, at any rate. Again, how much time is 2 hours, and what were you doing two hours ago?