<p>So starting this fall I will be a proud college freshman! The college campus is 20 minutes away from my home, less on good traffic days, so I figured that I would stay and live at home since even though I'd be spending gas I would still save money on room & board.
However, I've heard a lot of people lobbying for college freshman that they should live on campus.. so I wanted to hear from you guys what do you think? Maybe you've had personal experiences that would offer good advice? Personally, seeing as I'd be living so close to campus I don't really see the big need for living on campus, for one it'll be much more comfortable for me and I feel like I'll actually be better able to study since I'll be able to find solitude in my house while I don't know if the same goes for a college dorm.</p>
<p>So what's your opinion on living on-campus vs living at home?</p>
<p>I am still a senior in high school, but I have A LOT of friends who graduated last year and go to the University in my town. The ones that live in dorms love it. The ones that live at home are pretty much living out high school PART II. They just go to class, go home, and hang out with their old friends with high school. It really seems living in a dorm, at least once, is essential to the whole college experience thing. Unless you can’t afford it, then stay at home, but try to live 1 semester on campus to really see what all the fuss is about. I’m just saying what I see from my friends though, but most people seem to agree with me.</p>
<p>i agree with sgdude. try living on campus for one semester if you can afford it. dorms are a part of the whole college experience. if you hate in then you can always go back to living at home…plus you’ll make friends more easily</p>
<p>I am current commuter student, and I think I will be commuting until I graduate (or transfer to another school). I live about 2.5 miles away from my school, so I had the same dilemma earlier this year that you are having now. Ultimately, I opted to save $12,000 and live at home instead. </p>
<p>You do miss a lot by not living on campus, but there are advantages to living at home such as:</p>
<ol>
<li>Your parents still do your laundry (maybe) and cook your meals (maybe). </li>
<li>There are no roommates to deal with.</li>
<li>You save money.</li>
</ol>
<p>However, your enjoyment of college will likely hinge upon whether or not your school has a significant commuter student population. Where I attend college, no one besides me (as far as I know) is a commuter student. Personally, I have found this situation to be somewhat frustrating at times, since it is difficult to find people to relate to. </p>
<p>But, hey, if it saves money, it’s probably worth it. Join plenty of clubs in the meantime.</p>
<p>Each has its advantages, when I was living in a dorm, I ended up living at home half the time anyways…haha. I advise you to avoid doing this, if you do decide to live in a dorm. It takes a lot of self-restraint to avoid going home all the time and I definitely didn’t have it Personally, I didn’t like living in the dorm, especially when I could just hop in my car, drive down the highway, and sleep in my own room/use my clean bathroom/eat my mothers cooking/use my modern washing machine. </p>
<p>^Poster above is right, if your school does not have a significant commuter student population, then it would be difficult socially.</p>
<p>Unless you really can’t afford it, try out dorm life. You might love it, and at worst you only have to put up with it for a semester.</p>
<p>A lot of people say that living in a dorm for your first year or two is essential… I’d disagree. But I’d also give it a trial run.</p>
<p>And heh navyarf, that’s the situation I’m gonna be in. 30 minutes away from home by car, about an hour by subway. I’ll probably go every other weekend, mainly cos I can get my laundry done for free and to see my girlfriend :P</p>
<p>Presumably you know a fair number of people that are going to your school since it is so close, so commuting isn’t a horrible idea. You’ll have a harder time staying involved with on-campus activities than you would if you lived in a dorm, so it is doubly important that you get involved with some sort of groups or something on campus. Another thing to consider is whether or not your parents are comfortable with the social life you want to (or will want to) lead in college. You’re not going to have as good access to parties since you’ll need to have somewhere to crash afterward, and you can’t really bring girls home for the night, either from a party or after you’ve been dating a while. The girl thing is also an issue if you have a dorm room but sometimes you can make arrangements, especially during the day or if they go home on weekends. </p>
<p>Another thing if you commute is to try and spend as much time on campus as possible. Do your homework in the libraries/study lounges. Get a meal plan and eat on campus with people. Keep really up to date on stuff that is happening on campus (movies, concerts, etc.) and attend them, preferably with friends. This is actually the exact same thing I tell people who live in dorms. Spend as little time as you can in your dorm/house/apartment. Being out there and active is fun!</p>
<p>To be honest I really don’t know how having a big commuter population would help. Maybe somebody can clarify that a little bit, because it seems to me that having more people on campus would mean more was going on there, and it’d be easier to find stuff to do even with the inherent disadvantages of commuting. </p>
<p>So basically, if you’re talking about the difference between having a little extra spending money or not then I suggest living on campus so you can get more involved and get more of the Traditional College Experience, if you’re talking about the difference between having to take out a bunch of loans or not (or not as many) then I say live at home for at least a year, and look for an apartment and job after you get sick of living at home. It is really a personal decision though.</p>
<p>If at all possible live on campus. You are not looking at a twenty minute commute, you are looking at a forty minute commute, every day. If you go five days a week that is over three hours of your life lost to driving every week. It may not sound like much, but it is three hours you could have spent studying, playing, talking to friends, whatever and instead you are in a car alone doing nothing. Over the course of one semester it works out to roughly two days of driving time. Two and a half weeks or more for the whole four years of college.</p>
<p>The reasons mentioned above for living in a dorm are all good ones. </p>
<p>In the end, finances should be the biggest concern. If you can easily afford the $10,000 for room and board, by all means give it a shot. If you can’t, then you must do an honest cost-benefit analysis. Of course commuting has a cost as well (gas, opportunity, etc), but you can and will save a lot of money.</p>
<p>From my impressions, if there are more commuter students on campus, then the school will tend to be more accommodating towards them. That connotes more officially-sanctioned events for commuters, meal plans for commuters, campus storage space for commuters, etc. Also, a school’s clubs may also tailor their schedules so that commuter students can attend club meetings, etc.</p>
<p>I agree with navyarf, first semester I went home every weekend. My school, however, has a majority of OOS students so I don’t know anybody from high school here. I feel like I’m throwing away $9,000 for housing and another $9,000 for dining when I’m here. College is a time and money waster, I think. I mean, I’ve got student loans too you know? I’m paying to be uncomfortable! I hate dorm life: my roommate, cold showers, somewhat scheduled eating, the commute to the bathroom and kitchen (with no stove), and loud athletic dept neighbors. In college, it feels like you’re never alone although it’s a lonely place. There aren’t many spots to just be comfy alone. So, I think every situation is relative. I don’t like mine, but I don’t think I would want to live at home. I might get an apartment instead, which would be very nice.</p>
<p>I’ve done both. My dorm experiences haven’t been too greats thanks to randomly selected roommates, but I would suggest trying out the dorm. I missed so much when I commuted – it was only during a summer for a pre-college program, but most of us commuters missed out on making friends during it and going to all the programs just because they wouldn’t tell us about anything on campus. I’m sure it’s different commuting during the school year, but it’s sort of nice to be able to just walk into the hall and have people around.</p>
Personally, I didn’t like living in the dorm, especially when I could just hop in my car, drive down the highway, and sleep in my own room/use my clean bathroom/eat my mothers cooking/use my modern washing machine. </p>