<p>As evidenced throughout much of this thread it really is a different experience for each individual. For me though, commuting would be the end of the world. Dramatic…yes. But I was a person who made the decision to dorm in a far-away place rather than commute. Essentially, my decision came down to living at home in a state that I hated for free (everything paid for, with a car and a nice job to boot) OR going to school in a different state, living in the dorms without a car but having to pay ~15K/year for tuition. Even though I love my parents, commuting was not even a plausible option for me when it came down to it…I would rather be broke any day than miss out on the university experience in a different state. It really comes down to your personal preference…do you value your independence that much? One of my best friends decided to commute from 1 1/2 hours away to our school to save money…then again, she hardly sees us this year and has no time for anything but classes and fencing (her one activity). I can honestly say that 95% of my friends are made from living in the dorms. Are you willing to sacrifice possible friendships/missing out on certain campus events to save money? The thing is for me, I figured that I had the rest of my life to “save money” and only one time in my life where I could be broke, but since nearly everyone else in college is broke like me it would be okay. Plus, living on campus it is extremely easy to find on-campus jobs to make up for some of the money that you spent on living costs.</p>
<p>I grew up in a university town and just about everybody from my high school went to the local university. I made the most of it by going Greek (which I realize is not for everyone) and reaching out to other people in my major, but it was still a lot like being in 13th grade. No, commuting is not the end of the world, but you’re only young once and if you have the chance to dorm and don’t, you’ll aways wonder “what if.” Take the chance. If it’s not for you or really kills you financially, you can always move back home.</p>