<p>Okay. So I am going to GW next year and living in the dorms is EXPENSIVE, to the tune of an extra $10,000 a year. I obviously want to save that money and my parents REALLY want me to live at home, so that's what I'm doing. (To be honest, living on campus was never really an option for me to them.) I don't see parties as a legitimate reason to stay on campus, so I'm not worried about missing out on that. The problem is that I live an hour and a half away in bad traffic, 50 minutes with very little traffic; of course, I'll likely be commuting when there's quite a bit of traffic. Anyway, I'm starting to think that this was a really bad decision. I mean, I'm very academically driven and everything, but I'm worried I won't have any friends or time to sleep or anything. And where do I go if I have like four hours in between classes? What I want to know is, do you think it's doable? And if so, is it "doable," but my life will be considerably more difficult for the effort? What do you think?</p>
<p>It should also be noted that nearly EVERYONE stays in the dorms at GW, even upperclassmen because it's hard to find good, relatively inexpensive housing in D.C.</p>
<p>I think it’s doable, but you probably won’t like it. We right on the 50 mile borderline for commuters for my S’s school. Some kids do commute, but I’m glad my S lives on campus. That way he has had time for the campus radio station and other activities and we didn’t have to worry about him on the road. And after paying for gas, insurance and related expenses, you might not save any money by commuting. I’d rethink it if I were you.</p>
<p>Are you commuting using public transportation or car? Because there’s a big difference between the two. If by car, I believe footballmom is right in saying that gas, parking, and car maintenance may cost you a bundle and at the same time, you may be losing a lot of time work-wise. I am also commuting to college next year and it takes about an hour and a half each way, however, I will be using public transportation allowing me to complete hw and other work on the train when I can, while saving tremendous amounts of money. I’m not really sure how public transportation is over there, but I imagine it’s not that different from where I live. If you plan on driving, why don’t you consider public transportation instead? The other option to your problem may also be just to dorm.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that commuters can connect more with people on campus by joining clubs, getting a job in school, and generally being more involved with activities on campus (I’m a freshman too next year, so I can’t really say from first-hand experience). I honestly think this is true, and you may just have to be more active and friendly than the average student. You can use time between classes to accomplish this. The situation is what you make of it and yes I certainly think it’s doable.</p>
<p>Yeah that commute is doable, but it’ll be relatively painful. Are you planning on driving to class or is the metro an option? I’m sure you know parking is a huge pain/very expensive in the area. </p>
<p>In terms of friends, if you are a pretty sociable person, you’ll likely be fine. You just have to make more effort than the average student to make friends. i.e. join student clubs/organizations (volunteering, sports, academic orgs), talk to students in your classes, or get an on-campus job, because a lot of students are going to have built in networks of friends just by proximity of living. Especially the first year you are there you are going to have to make that effort (because it gets harder as you go on in college to reach out/make friends). As you make more friends, you might even be able to crash at their place for a weekend or two/hang out with them, making life as a commuter a lot easier/more flexible. BUT if you are more introverted/not as sociable, making friends could be a major concern/downside to living so far off campus. </p>
<p>When you have in-between time, I’d suggest to look into getting an on-campus job with flexible hours, chilling at one of the many libraries on campus or a coffee shop. GW student union is a popular-ish place too.</p>
<p>Commuting isn’t too bad (my first semester, I hit rush hour traffic both ways, for a 1 1/2 hour commute each way). As for the four hour break, those can be a real pain before you’ve made friends. Use the time to meet new people and get a jump start on the semesters work. At the end of the semester, you’ll be really grateful you did (I know I was!).</p>