Hi. So i committed to west chester U and I was accepted as a commuter student. It’s about a 30-35 minute drive, not a big deal for me. I live with just my mother and our dog(haha). Commutting will cost me around $5k/year and living in a dorm will cost around 13k/year. Financials isn’t a huge issue for me but I would obviously love to not have any loans. I was always thinking about commuting until the past month or so. My best friend since 1st grade wants to dorm together, and I don’t know what to do. I want to be somewhat involved on campus (intramural sports, maybe sga) but I don’t want to leave my mother all by herself, not to mention what we are going to do with our dog. while no one is home until 4-5ish. thoughts?
If you don’t want to leave your mother all alone then don’t.
https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg05_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=207 indicates that West Chester is a mostly residential school (92% of frosh in dorms), so there probably is some advantage in living there during frosh year. However, if finances or family circumstances make that difficult for you, then commuting from home is still a valid option.
What does your mother think about living at home versus living at the school for frosh year?
Living on campus definitely has its advantages, but so does commuting. As a commuter, you don’t have to deal with all of the issues students living in dorms have to deal with. That said, dorming with friends isn’t always easy, so I wouldn’t make that decision lightly. I am a commuter who with the same 30-35 minute commute on a normal day, and I’m involved heavily on campus.
Dorm freshman year and come home on the weekends.
Ideally I would say to dorm freshman year. It is much easier to make friends and get involved with campus life.
My niece grew up 30 minutes from West Chester and has lived at school the entire time. She also sees my brother- and sister-in-law all the time. If you can afford it, get the best of both worlds!
Personally I believe that being in a dorm is a lot better socially for the whole college experience rather than commuting. You’ll be able to meet a lot more people on a closer level. It’ll also help you develop better social skills when dealing with other people.
This particular college does have a significant off campus presence (I live 10 minutes away), and commuting isn’t unheard of. However, I agree that participating in the dorm experience, at least as a freshman, would be ideal to facilitate the transition to college life.
Many find living with their best friend to be a mistake so proceed with caution.
Since you are in PA you need to consider weather. It is likely that your school will not close for bad weather. Will that be an issue?
I also favor living on campus as a Freshmen but it is a luxury. It generally makes life easier and frees up time. The downside can be dorm drama and low quality - high cost food (varies greatly by college).
As for the dog, most dogs can adapt to long times alone. When we worked, our dog was alone for 11 hours a day without issues. You mom will survive (assumiong no health issues). Both will miss you greatly.
I would not go in with the idea of coming home every weekend. That would negate most of the benifits of living on campus. It will be more difficult to form and maintain friendship if you disappear evrey weekend.
thanks for the feedback. any more is appreciated
@WeLoveLyman have you ever had any trouble getting involved? What activities do you do (If you don’t mind me asking)
You can only borrow $5500/year. Will your mom pay the other $7500? If finances aren’t an issue, you could dorm for one year then commute the other 3.
You could dorm for one year and apply for a position as an RA. If you are hired, you will get a free room the next year. My D’s school offered a break on meal plans as well while my son’s offered a smaller break on meal plans but a $250 stipend per semester. If you aren’t hired, you can move back home for the second year, but you will now have friends in whose rooms you could possibly spend a night if a bad storm is coming, etc.
Not at all! My university has an activities expo at the beginning of each semester, and everyone is encouraged to sign up for anything they may be remotely interested in; also, it is not uncommon for students to show up to meetings for the first time halfway through the semester. I’m on a dance team; I write for the school newspaper; and I am also involved in two political organizations; one is bipartisan, and in the other I was recently elected to the executive board. I am also a student ambassador and a I will be an incoming student mentor over the summer.
Is the dorm experience worth $8000 to you? That’s the question.
If you decide to commute, just make sure you spend enough time on campus - besides just classes - to feel more connected: eating, studying, clubs, etc. Even being involved in the mundane things will help weave you into the campus experience.
I live close to my university, and I did my first semester living on campus. It was not really my thing- the people I was surrounded with didn’t have the same approach to academics that I did, and I was having some personal things happen that made commuting from home much easier for the 2nd semester. I love commuting, but it is not for everyone. It requires a certain work ethic and knowing how to manage your time. My commute is about 2.5 hours round-trip, but I get most of my reading done then so I can do any hand-written work/essays at home. Also, I found that being able to step out of the college bubble was very much a plus. I am still very involved on campus, but I also get to sleep in my own bed and not have to deal with communal showers (they suck). But, like with most things, it depends on the person. Best advice: go with your gut.
@WeLoveLyman @orangeclockwork @Undercrackers thanks for the advice 