<p>For the entire university experience, how important was the freshman experience? Living on campus, etc.</p>
<p>It was one of the best years of my life. Wouldn’t trade it for anything. I lived on campus in the dorms and made friends that are still close friends 35 years later. If you can swing it, I would highly recommend living on campus, even if your home is only a half hour away from school (especially if the school isn’t mostly a commuter school.)</p>
<p>I lived at home and went to a juco my freshman year. Still made great friends who were in my wedding and to whom I’m still close today.</p>
<p>I only ask this because, atm I am a commuter and I have the opportunity to transfer to a big ten school for winter semester(Junior status, but I would be dorming in a all freshman dorm). However, with my gpa/ACT/ completed credits I probably can get into a higher ranked school in the fall.</p>
<p>I did the experience, husband didn’t. He is as close, if not closer to old friends. Weirder still; he has more debt. I say it depends on the circumstance.</p>
<p>What do you mean about circumstance?</p>
<p>His circumstance was such that he was looking for ways to save, so he lived at home, but still developed close relationships. I found other ways to budget, and met many people, but perhaps did not value them as much.</p>
<p>I highly recommend all students try to live on campus the first year, straight out of HS, especially first semester. Plan on saving money later in college- most will try to find a way to stay. The college credit standing doesn’t matter if you are the same age/graduation year, getting away from home and being there with the other freshmen does. I was lucky enough to do so instead of a bus with transfer commute of an hour or so each way. A close college friend walked to campus- she was never around for the late evening extemporaneous fun (nondrinkers, honors program bunch). Her parents would have freaked if we rang the doorbell at 10 pm. I lived in dorms all 4 years (beat commuting- scholarship money and dorm food service job) and so saw more freshmen with whom I didn’t relate to much as the years went by. The campus was totally different than the rest of the city life.</p>
<p>OP-you are never going to get that fall freshman experience. You need to consider the costs and benefits of being on campus. Less time spent traveling and meals prepared and cleaned up for you versus added financial cost. Consider it for the experience of dorm life, something you can never get after college (nor will you want to). If you finished HS before all of the freshmen did you will not be in their more naive peer group. However, dorm life with them will include all sorts of help in getting to know the campus. You will also be there when friends you meet in classes and activites plan something. It can be hard to go home and come back, then return home again. Commuters miss a lot of little things that make up the college experience (on a typical campus that doesn’t cater to commuters).</p>