<p>Hey everyone! I'm new to this forum since i'm also a new college freshman!</p>
<p>Now, I go to a main commuter school where like 60-70% of the people here commute. The residential population here is growing but the majority are still commuters here. And I have been heard a lot about how commuting degrades the college experience. Well, ive been commuting for 3 weeks now and honestly, Im not sure if I missing much of the full college experience but people seem to insist that I am! Read if you agree..</p>
<p>Ive made a group of really close buddies (sophomores, juniors, and seniors), about 7 of them, and we always hang out after class and we have created a flag football team! I have also joined the American Medical Student association since I am a pre-med student and I'll get a taste of what being a doctor really is.</p>
<p>And Ive gone to several parties and activities on campus in the past 3 weeks and they are pretty fun! I stay about 9-12 hours on campus depending on the days I have flag football practice so its not like I leave campus right after class. Thats longer than some people who dorm stay at college buildings before they go back to their dorm.</p>
<p>So honestly, what am I missing besides paying 7 grand for living on campus where I am limited by eating a meal plan and possibly having bad roommates? And for those of you that think im paying for a car, im not. There is free bus transportation from my house thats 5 minutes away from my house and drops me off in the middle of the university. It takes me 45 min to get to school and 45 min back but I also read on the bus so im not losing study time. So I pay $0 for transportation on regular days. Some days I park my car next to a park and ride area and take the bus but I still don't pay a cent for on campus parking and very little fuel costs.</p>
<p>I personally don't think the 7 grand is worth living on campus for. Sure I miss having easy access to the university library and I don't get to have dorm sleepovers but seriously, is it worth the debt? Like I said, ive made really good friends with my new buddies and we see each other on weekends often. And since my parents have two houses, we plan on having house parties in my parents spare house eventually so thats also a good thing?</p>
<p>And my parents said they would give me a brand new car worth up to 30K if I got all A's first year on campus, which would make up for me not living on campus. So what am I losing by not dorming? Tell me....</p>
<p>Yeah, if it works for you, it works for you! If most people at your school commute, you probably aren’t missing out on too much either. I mean I personally wouldn’t commute but that’s not really how the culture of my school works. Glad to hear that you’re saving money and still having a great time :)</p>
<p>Sounds like you are doing well as a commuter. </p>
<p>In general, I think you get more out of college by not being a commuter, because part of the college experience is leaving home, and being totally on your own. And you are more likely to make friends with kids who are living in your dorm. But in your case, no dorm.</p>
<p>My only suggestion to you is make a lot of friends, and maybe they will let you crash in their dorm room from time to time, rather than having to drive home drunk at 3am.</p>
<p>If you are happy, and it sounds like you are, that’s what counts. </p>
<p>Sometimes, the first year is a hard one for students who are on their own, so at least you are avoiding that. </p>
<p>I went to Cornell, but for a time, it looked like I would go to SUNY Stonybrook, in which case I would have been a commuter too, as my parents lived on Long Island.</p>
<p>Yeah, sounds like you’re definitely not missing much by not dorming. Staying on campus just makes it easier to get involved and get to class 5-10 minutes beforehand, but sounds like you already found ways to get involved without needing dorm life. People just say commuting to school is bad because a lot of them just tend to get there, go to class, and leave.</p>
<p>The one thing I would recommend is that you should really try to do things on your own without the aid of your family (unless you do that already). I knew a bunch of older friends who commuted all four years of college, and 3+ after graduation they still stay at home with their parents and let them cook dinner for them!</p>
<p>Sounds like you’re doing it the right way. If one commutes and spends no time on campus, doesn’t get involved, and just goes to and from class, then I think yes, that can degrade the college experience. But going the way you seem to be, it can work out.</p>
<p>I didn’t go to a single party last year when I commuted (although I also didn’t drive).</p>
<p>This year, living in an off-campus house with other students, we’ve had people over almost every night and we’re throwing a rager tomorrow. </p>
<p>If you’ve made really good friends then you’re already better off than I was. If it works for you, if you don’t feel lonely/empty, then keep at it.</p>
<p>The only thing you miss by not dorming is having either the strangest person in the world for a roommate and not having more than a closet’s worth of space to store your life.</p>
<p>The difference here is that you’re going to a commuter school, which changes the experience into a positive one. Most people understand why you’re commuting and it’s considered normal. I’m guessing that activities are probably more tailored for commuters than at a school where commuters are in the minority (going out on a limb with assumptions here).</p>
<p>I’m going to a school where most of the students dorm (have to life on campus or with parents for first 2 years) and currently commuting. The reason so many people say commuting is bad for the college experience is because it’s REALLY REALLY HARD. In fact, I’m looking at moving into the dorms next semester to relieve some of the stress.</p>
<p>But I’m super glad it’s working for you. :)</p>
<p>A lot of the memorable times happen at weird hours, like running around campus in your pajamas at three in the morning. I personally wouldn’t have survived commuting, because you have to work really hard to get the real college experience. A lot of commuters I’ve met are trying to get “adopted” by a hall, just so they have a group of people and a place to crash between classes, but they miss out on a lot of the great, random activities that go on when everyone’s half asleep eating leftover cake from the fridge. But since your school’s a commuter school, the activities are probably tailored to those types of people.
Just make sure you stay a lot on campus, and if you can, get adopted by a dorm.</p>
<p>I commuted to a school where 99% of the student body lived on campus or lived in their own apartment near the campus. I commuted in from 2.5 miles away, and quite frankly, college is one of the loneliest and most desolate experiences I’ve ever had. Very few people know you are. In most classes, you are just a number. Sure, I have at least two dozen acquaintances on campus, but all I do is just say “Hi” to them when I see them, and do nothing more than that. </p>
<p>I used to care about living on campus, but I am a junior already, and I am more interested in graduating and getting a job, and see my “real life” off to a good start. </p>
<p>Live on campus if you can, but if you couldn’t afford it, like me, then it’s better to concentrate on what’s more important and leave the social aspect of life for later.</p>
<p>But, it sounds like you are doing far better than I did, so I guess you should keep doing what you are doing. Quite frankly, don’t commute to a school where commuters generally don’t exist.</p>