I have a dilemma. I have extremely strict parents who do not want me to dorm in college (I will be attending UCLA this September). They want me to commute instead. I have tried many times to convince them with no luck.
At first I was really upset about this, because then I would have to drive about an hour each way to get to school. However, since my sister is currently attending (and commuting to) Mount Saint Mary’s University, which is like 5 min away from UCLA, my parents decided that we are going to move into a condo near UCLA so both of us have a really short commute to school.
Having a short commute will allow me to participate in more extracurriculars and hang out with friends more (rather than having to sit in traffic for hours).
Do you think I will be missing out on a lot if I do not dorm? Other than the experience of being independent, what else will I be missing out on? Will it be harder for me to make friends?
Is there a specific reason why they don’t want you to dorm? I think dorm experience will be good for any new college student. Dorms have their student events as well for you to meet new people along with their study lounges/dining halls. Maybe try to convince your parents to dorm for the 1st year of college (and back it up with good grades). THen maybe you can move in with your sister the 2nd year! If you do decide to move into a condo, be careful of where the condo is near UCLA because even a 5 mile distance from UCLA can turn into a 20-30 drive plus parking/parking pass fees. The traffic on Wilshire is ridiculous!
@ashleyucla2021 - We live 20 minutes away from campus and my daughter will be living on campus for the first year based on all the reasons madmarky10 mentioned. She may commute years 2-4 (not something she will consider now), but by then she will have made her friends and established her independence. Good luck!
I commute from Orange County. I scheduled my classes so that I only have to go to campus twice a week. It helps I have no friends, no social skills, and am pretty much a pathetic loser.
In your case, commuting 20-40 minutes a day won’t cut too much into your social life and schoolwork. I think dorm life is overrated, but if you really think it makes a difference, you can hang out in the dorm rooms and pretend you live there. There is a common lounging area in most, if not all, of the dorm room halls. Just chill there and make friends. If not? Go to Bruin Walk and join every club that throws a flyer at you. Don’t like either of those options? Join a frat/sorority. If you’re cool enough, they’ll let you into their club. Dont like any of those??? Why even bother going to school? Just hangout near the 101 exit and hangout with the homeless people then. They’ve got all sorts of cool stories and experience. I think my boy Freddy with mono is still there eating stale in n out burgers and rifling through public trashcans.
You’ll definitely miss out on some of the social aspects, but since you’ll be close to school I don’t think it will be too bad. I’d recommend joining clubs and participating in campus activities to make friends and feel like part of the community. Also join study groups for your classes, go to the campus gyms, etc.