I’m planning to attend a college thats 8 minutes away from where I live. My parents suggested I stay at home freshman year since its closer. However, i don’t want to miss out on college life my first year. I want to get that experience, you know? Do you think dorming is a good idea freshman year regardless of distance?
If it’s financially possible, it may be good to live in the dorm freshman year. Only if things are very different next year than they are right now. That is, if COVID is still a factor, it’s not worth the money.
If it’s a financial stretch involving a lot of loans, it’s not a good idea. Just my opinion.
D20 is almost halfway through her first year, living in a dorm trying to have a college experience. She is very close to deciding to stay home and be remote for the spring. There are very few in-person classes (and even fewer for spring than fall), club meetings are all on Zoom, it is very hard to meet people and she finds herself feeling lonely a lot of the time. What small amount of socializing happens usually ends up with students violating social distancing rules and being sent home.
I agree with @kelsmom. If things are different next year and it is financially feasible, live in the dorm. If Covid is still dictating what colleges and students do, stay home.
If it is financially possible and covid has subsided by next fall then I’d live in the dorm, especially for freshman year when a lot of friendships are formed.
My caveat is if you spend the money to live in the dorm you and your parents must discuss ground rules in advance. You should not run home on weekends, to do laundry, to have dinner etc. and they should not pop by whenever they want. Treat it as if you were hours, not minutes away.
FWIW After looking at schools up and down the east coast my S ended up at a college (best fit, best merit aid etc.) 20 minutes away and he dormed there for all four years. We did sit down and create ground rules (like what I have above) before he sent a deposit in for that college and we insisted that grandparents follow our rules as well. It worked out great and he had a fantastic 4 year expereince.
IF you stay home for whatever reason (money, preferencem covid concerns) understand now that there are two types of commuter students. You could be a commuter who shows up for class and then runs home. OR you could plan on spending full days at college (see if you can get a partial meal plan) and get involved in clubs, with your classmates, with professors etc. IMO the second option will give you a much more fulfilling, fun, interesting college expereince.
@nyahj1012 you really need to take into consideration affordability for your family and also what is going on for that particular college in terms of in person or virtual classes. I’ve worked with some students this year who are on campus but most classes are remote…some don’t mind that while others don’t like it at all. Campus life and opportunity for the experiences that come along with that are going to vary from college to college with everything going on.
Generally, I would say yes, but with Covid I am not sure it is worth it.
I agree with the comments above. However, it’s worth considering where you might attend. My understanding is that while it seems most kids are having a far from typical college experience, there are definitely colleges where kids are happy to be back on campus, even with COVID. I have heard of a lot of students who are happy enough with the current situation and living on campus that they prefer to be there rather than living in isolation at home.
I actually feel pretty optimistic that next fall, things will be a lot better on college campuses, even if they aren’t fully back to normal. In your shoes, I would learn as much as possible about what the college is doing to keep kids happy and engaged during this time. There is definitely a LOT of variation in how colleges are handling the situation.
Are you paying out-of-pocket? It’s easy to spend money you’ve not earned.
I’ll give you good advice here:
- Choose a major that will guarantee you employment at a good salary. Following your dream is BS when you’re living on the streets.
- Find the cheapest path to accomplish #1.
- You can afford no more student debt than your first year’s salary.
Now, do what you would advise someone else to do.
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