<p>Hi, I'm going to college soon and have made the decision to live at home and commute (for various reasons). The college is a 1 hr, 15 minute drive (so that would be 2 hrs, 30 minutes driving per day) and I'm fine with that, although it might be tricky in winter, but I am worried about the social side of things...making friends etc and going to parties. I plan on going to as many events and joining in as much as possible during orientation week. There are lots of events/parties/groups I want to go to so I won't be left out but I still feel slightly anxious and I don't know anyone at my college yet.</p>
<p>What do you think about a 1 hr, 15 minute commute? Am I just worrying over nothing?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t due that commute due to the amount of gas that would eat up alone.</p>
<p>Unless you’re driving in heavy traffic that’s not too awful. An hour+ commute might make it difficult to socialize though. Going to those parties and whatnot is a good idea but if you like to drink you’re not going to be able to. It might also be hard to maintain and improve any connections you make after orientation week when people (yourself included) start having to do work.</p>
<p>That would drink up a lot of gas, but it still should be cheaper than living at home.</p>
<p>I’ve been living in the dorms for about a week now and I’m not crazy about it. My suite mates are great, but if I have to walk in there to a filthy sink one more time or feminine hygiene products wrappers on the floor and gross things on top of the trash in plain sight, I might have to kill someone. I will NOT be living here next semester.</p>
<p>I’ve met people through my suite mates, but it’s not like our floor is where I’ve met anyone who I thought I’d be BFFs with right away. It’s tight and cramped and the dust in here is going to be the death of me. I’d take commuting from home any day of the ****ing week.</p>
<p>^ did you go over a roommate agreement with your suit mates? I know at most schools the RA’s require them to be done (basically rules and such no leaving messes no random dates overnight unannounced etc)</p>
<p>dorm. Thats half the experience of college. I guarantee you, you will have MUCH more fun.
It’ll take some strategy to maintain good grades, but its certainly possible.
And with the amount of price you’ll be paying for gas, the money you save by commuting probably wont even be all that much.</p>
<p>I commuted as an undergraduate. Missed out on so many things. Spent so much time driving - because traffic makes a normal commute often much, much longer. Missed out on late night study sessions and parties and networking with students. I didn’t have that connection to my college and eventually transferred.</p>
<p>If you can, it’s even better living off campus with roommates - but much closer to campus. That is a long way away you are planning on driving!</p>
<p>Studies have also shown that the students who live on campus tend to have a higher GPA.</p>
<p>Yeah, we did the roommate agreement the day before yesterday, I think. </p>
<p>I thought staying on campus at a residential college would give me that “college experience” that I wanted, but I think it’s a little overrated, imo. I met great people commuting to and from school at my CC and I’ve met some nice people here, too. You can take part in study sessions commuting, you’ll just be driving home later unless that’s an issue (but there would hopefully be less traffic). Commuting or dorming, I don’t know too many people who stay up late at night studying. It is a little awkward when your roommate climbs into her bunk ****faced, though, late at night.</p>
<p>The upside to dorming is just the convenience of living where your classes are, but I can’t imagine that gas from commuting would be more than room and board at a school unless you’re driving a massive gas guzzler. </p>
<p>I would give it a little pause commuting that distance though because the school I plan on transferring to is only a 15/20 minute drive on a slow day and I could get there by taking a bus since we get public transit passes included in our tuition.</p>
<p>I guess my decision would be based on gas prices in the area +parking passes and the car’s gas mileage vs the cost of living on campus with a meal plan and the potential hassle that comes with living on campus with roommates.</p>
<p>That is going to eat a TON of gas up…unless you have a Prius and lots of money to blow on gas I wouldn’t recommend doing this for too long, especially if gas prices go up.</p>