I live about 30 minutes from my college and after visiting and doing a lot of research I realize that getting a dorm might be a better option than commuting. The only problem is that I have a kitten. She’s MY pet, not a family pet, and I can’t stand the thought of leaving her. I feel like if I leave her at home and go off to college, by the time I come back, she won’t recognize me as her owner anymore. My college doesn’t allow pets and I just don’t know what to do. Any advice?
If you live that close, have a pet you want to be close to, and have reliable transportation, I would probably consider commuting in that case, as long as you think you’d be able to participate on campus and such (assuming that’s a priority for you).
I would try to take the kitten out of the equation. What would you do if you didn’t have a kitten? What is the best decision for your education, goals and finances. To plan your life around a kitten at this stage doesn’t seem to be the best idea. Keep in mind most landlords do not allow kittens. Do you plan to live at home for the next four years if not longer.
If cats are anything like dogs, the kitten will remember you. When you are home during the breaks just make sure that you assume the role as prime caregiver.
FYI, I am a animal lover. At one point, I live in a high cost run down apartment just because they would allowed dogs. Since it was my girlfriend dog I really had no choice since they came as a set. I did love them both so it worked out.
That’s a very good point. I almost always recommend dorming over commuting and apartment living, if possible. I guess I’m just questioning the thought process in adopting a kitten that is “your pet” if you knew you were about to possibly leave for college in a few months. It might be time to transition it to being the family pet so it doesn’t get too out of sorts if you opt for dorming. If you can afford it, it is definitely the best way to transition/get involved for most people. Does it really matter if the kitten recognizes the family as its owner instead of just you? Just thinking aloud.
Sorry for any confusion with this, I didn’t adopt a kitten right before going off to college. I got her a year ago (so I guess she’s not really a kitten anymore, but I still call her one) when we took in a stray who was pregnant. I raised all the kittens, so my cat was my Christmas present because I got so attached to her. And I still have a year before college, I’m just trying to prepare ahead. So it really wasn’t a really irresponsible idea to adopt a kitten before leaving to college. As for why it matters that she’s my cat and not the family’s, I have 2 main reasons. 1) After college when I move out, I’ll be taking her with me, so I don’t want to take her away from who she perceives as her owner. 2) She has anxiety so switching up who she perceives as her owner may be really difficult and stressful for her.
I think that in a year from now, your cat will be accustomed to everyone in the household and won’t be so anxious when you go off, and that you’ll be close enough to home to pop in on the occasional weekend, and that when you see all your classmates talking about planning their dorm and finding a roommate, you won’t want to be commuting just because of a pet.
I think commuting is a better option. You can have your own room at home, and keep costs down. Since you live quite close to your college, I would strongly consider commuting.
Right now, I attend a community college and live at home. I plan to transfer to a state school in a year, and continue living at home.
Making a kitten the focal point of such a major decision is a bit odd, to be honest. Don’t get me wrong, I love animals and my pet dog, but this is a decision which may dramatically alter the next four years of your life. You only live 30 minutes from school, so you’ll still be able to see your kitten, regardless of whether or not you live in the dormitories.
Some questions to consider:
What is the financial viability of dorm-living versus commuting? Is it a cost that you can readily absorb? Or will loans be used? In terms of personality, how social are you? Do you find it easy or “natural” to make friends/companions? What form of transportation will you be using? What’s your major? (Some majors require lengthy labs which may keep you on campus well into late afternoon/evening.)
A 30 minute commute isn’t that bad, assuming there aren’t any complications that could make it much longer (such as unreliable transportation, etc.) I commute an hour to school each way because my scholarship covers tuition/fees and my family subsidizes living expenses - I don’t think commuting has negatively impacted my “college experience.” If anything, I think the “negatives” of commuting tend to be exaggerated in conversations about college life. I happen to really like commuting - beyond the financial benefits, I think that it’s really nice to have two spheres of life, my “school” life and my “home” life. I can easily get stressed out over coursework and I can only imagine how that stress would be exacerbated if I lived “at school.”
As a qualification, I commute via rapid transit and can readily do school work/relax/people watch/read the news/etc. during my commute, so I don’t consider it to be wasted time (a complaint that tends to be mentioned by students who commute by car.) I don’t know if I would enjoy commuting as much if I were driving to school.
This. You shouldn’t be basing a decision like this around a pet. There are plenty ways in which living on campus can enrich your experience at school, which typically increases your success. If you find yourself longing for that on-campus experience then go for it. If you’re only 30 minutes away, you can go home every weekend. That’s still plenty of time for your pet, not to mention other extended breaks.
If you decide to dorm your first year you can come home enough for the cat to remember you. Then you can move off campus year 2-4 and take the cat with you. Assuming your school allows you to live off campus.
I would try to dorm…it is the best way to make friends, get involved with the college, join clubs, focus on school, gain independence, etc. etc.
You can always visit your cat. But don’t go home every weekend…you need to spend time with college friends.