<p>I live about 15-20 minutes away from the college. I have the option of living on campus or staying home and I have no idea what to do. I really don't want to miss out on anything and am looking for some suggestions about what I should do?</p>
<p>I really think you should live on campus. You’ll get to meet more people and overall it’s a lot better. I know you live close but a commuters life is not as fulfilling. Live on campus. </p>
<p>(Just my opinion)</p>
<p>Definitely live on campus if you can afford it. Most people I know who lived at home wish they hadn’t, and it’s way easier to make friends. You can also visit home anytime you want.</p>
<p>It depends. Would you be happy to live at home? Are finances a concern if you move out? What are your priorities for college?</p>
<p>Personally, I’d rather live at home than take out a $5,000 loan for on-campus housing.</p>
<p>I hated living in the dorms. Noise-induced sleep deprivation had a negative impact on my schoolwork and my health. I was annoyed by students who did not clean up after themselves in the communal bathrooms, I was annoyed when my roommate hosted out-of-town friends stay in the room, I was annoyed when stomach bugs went around in the dorms (whole floors got sick at a time, probably because we were sharing bathrooms).</p>
<p>I commuted from home for one year when I attended a local university, and I lived off campus for 2 out of 4 years when went to school further away. So much better!!! I don’t think my social life suffered at all. I could spend all the time I want socializing on campus, including with friends in the dorms, but I could go home and have peace and quiet when I was ready to sleep. Couldn’t do that in the dorms.</p>
<p>I would delay going to college before I’d commute for my freshman year. In fact, with our own kids, we ruled out schools in which spending four years on-campus was unlikely. College is not just classes. It’s a commitment to be engaged and involved in ways that could change your life for the long term. Would your family experience have been the same had you lived across town while growing up and just commuted to their home for meals and scheduled meetings?</p>
<p>Rtmilky, I had the same situation as you when I attended community college. It took me 20 minutes to get from my driveway to the campus parking lot and get out of the car. I did this for four years (don’t ask). Yes, I lived at home and did not have to worry about utility bills, groceries, rent or the cost of school dining and residence fees.</p>
<p>I hated it. I love my family dearly, but they and this house were not and are not conductive to a great learning environment. I understand that every family and household are different but there will be days that you come home with a night of homework and studying ahead of you and family members will need you to do something. A chore, an item, an errand, a meal. There will be something no matter how often you tell them that you need quiet, you need to study. Sadly, there were moments where a family member will forget you are indeed X years and not a young teenager entering junior high or high school anymore.</p>
<p>I’m now transferring to a larger state university just a bit farther down the road from my CC. A 45 minute drive into town, so it takes an hour to get from my drive to the commuter parking lot. I will not be staying at home, despite the difference in housing/meals and car maintenance. I can not do that to myself again, mentally, financially, emotionally, or to my education.</p>
<p>I highly recommend staying on campus if you possibly can. It gives you the opportunity to discover yourself as an adult, study as you need without family distractions (can’t say the same about friends 
) participate in study groups, school events, clubs, and so forth with better ease. I think you’d enjoy your freshman year much more in a residence hall.</p>
<p>Taking tips from my older friends, I would recommend saying on campus regardless of price (unless it actually cost like $15k per semester just for the room). Also it the best way to make lifelong friends. Save you gas money. And you don’t really want to stay in your parents’ house… You may never leave (I’m jk but it does happen).</p>
<p>Of course you have to deal with privacy issues and sharing bathrooms (in SOME colleges) while staying in dorm room. But you said you were 15-20 minutes always? That’s not really easy to get homesick. You can literally ride a bike or skateboard at that distance.</p>
<p>Descuff, that may not always be the case. For example 15-20 minutes drive between home and school for me is 19 miles through Iowa countryside. Not something I’d want to bike, since that would be hours! XD</p>
<p>However, the college and Rtmilky are in the same town it’d be a much different story.</p>
<p>Is this your first year at this school?</p>
<p>If you can afford it, live on campus. You’ll be in the center of it all and have a place to actually call your own (and to bring people back to).</p>
<p>I went to community college and I regret not going to a four-year first. I think I would’ve done way better and been more motivated than having to make a one-way commute everyday for the last three years for an hour.</p>
<p>However, I do not regret the relationships I made from there. I am carrying with me a few of them to my new college and many friends now at top colleges. </p>
<p>It all comes down to affordability. If you can live on campus, definitely do it. If you can’t, don’t and make the commute. You don’t have to go home right after class, you can stick around with your friends for a while and go home when needed. </p>
<p>I found that coming home was particularly demotivating for me. I’ve procrastinated to no end. Literally, when I planned to study for my very important Linear Algebra mid-term I opted to watch the The Office in its entirety. I could not imagine myself doing that in a dorm. Having motivated peers get me to hunker down as well. There are too many distractions at home. Coming from a guy who has parents in a happy marriage, I am genuinely grateful for this. However, having to hear them karaoke all semester long this past spring literally drove me insane.</p>
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<p>EXACTLY!!! Minus karaoke. Actually…add the karaoke back in but I’ll raise you a niece and nephew.</p>
<p>Having spent a year living at home and a year away from home, I think they both have their advantages and disadvantages. </p>
<p>For my freshman year, I lived at home and attended a community college half an hour away. I quickly discovered that home was not the best place to study and get work done, so I got in the routine of staying at school until I’d finished the studying and homework I needed to do that day. This was effective because I completed everything I needed to do and then I could go home and relax without being tempted to procrastinate. It was also nice to still have my family around to assist with cooking and cleaning. They were always supportive and knew I couldn’t be around as often since I had more work to do. </p>
<p>During sophomore year, I lived in an off-campus apartment with three other students, who all attended the same college as I did. One thing I enjoyed was being in a new, different situation. There is a certain gratification when you live on your own for the first time, and the independence is exciting. Of course, this also had its drawbacks. One thing was the drama. Two of my roommates had a huge falling out that lasted the entire semester before one eventually moved out (I’m still hearing the details of this from the roommate who stayed). I also found it easier to get distracted. While my family would often encourage me to study and put school first, my roommates would make plans and want me to come along. While they understood if I couldn’t go, it was difficult to turn down invitations in favor of staying in to study. I was also responsible for all of my own cooking and usually most of the cleaning since my roommates weren’t keen on keeping things tidy. </p>
<p>Obviously living off campus is different from living in the dorms (where you probably would not have to worry about much cleaning or cooking) but most of the roommate stuff still applies. Despite that, I would still recommend living on campus unless it’s a big financial strain. You do learn how to live with others, and it’s a good transition from being completely dependent on your parents to living independently as an adult. </p>
<p>Although if you do end up staying at home, don’t fret. You can still be involved with stuff on campus, make friends, and have a good college experience.</p>
<p>Plenty of people have weighed in, but I’ll throw in my two cents anyways.</p>
<p>In my opinion, it’s better to live on campus the first year because it will greatly increase the number of people you could potentially meet. Commuting would be cheaper, but you lose the opportunity to make the friendships and/or network that you could’ve had if you lived on campus that first year.</p>
<p>Yes, this will be my freshman year and I thank you all for the helpful input</p>