Liberal Arts College Off-Campus

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I will soon be starting my freshman year of college as a physics major at a small, private liberal arts college. My house is only 10 minutes away from the house. I have been thinking about commuting and living at home. However, I hear many cons to living off-campus. I'm going to take my studies very seriously as I want to get into a Ph.D. program for particle physics. I am going to aim for a 4.0 GPA in physics and in mathematics, and I will probably be studying up to 5 hours every day. The problem is I also want to live the "college life". It's bad enough that I am not social at all. I want to finally make friends. I admit I cannot study at home as there are too many distractions; therefore, I usually study at a library. My question is whether I should live at home or live on-campus.</p>

<p>Here is the tuition for the college:
<a href="http://public.elmhurst.edu/finaid/tuition_and_fees/150030955.html"&gt;http://public.elmhurst.edu/finaid/tuition_and_fees/150030955.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

2

<p>If you can afford it, live on campus. If you aren’t very outgoing, it will be a harder to make friends if you aren’t living in the dorms. What do your parents think?</p>

3

<p>My dad is fine with either. I come from a family of doctors, so money isn’t the biggest concern (I hope that didn’t sound like bragging). </p>

4

<p>^^ I recommend to try and avoid the need to apologize for whom your parents are or or for having money. There is nothing wrong with having money, and it is not bragging when asked if you can afford something. Remember, it is people, such as your your parents, who pay the majority of taxes that keep the country going. They are more than pulling their weight; no need to apologize for that.</p>

<p>As to your question - live on campus - a much more enjoyable “real college” experience. Plus, if you do not like it, you have a place to go. But, if I were in your place I would give it try for sure. </p>

5

<p>Thank you for the advice, awcntdb. I will keep this in mind.</p>