<p>Ok so at this point I'm deciding between Fairfield University, SUNY New Paltz, and Fordham University.</p>
<p>I know overall Fordham is the much better school. However, all three schools seem to have a pretty good Communications / Journalism program which is what I would like to study. The problem is I would LOVE to dorm. And Fordham did not give me enough money to dorm (they expect me to pay about 15k more than Fairfield would). And since Fordham is legit a 5-10 minute drive depending on traffic, commuting would probably be the only option. It is my favorite school of the three but I'm torn since dorming is a huge factor. Granted, too, New Paltz and Fairfield are kind of "party schools" from what I understand, and I am not a party person (at least any that involves drugs / alcohol). And Fordham would give me the best education...plus if I went to Fordham my parents would buy themselves a new car (since its cheaper than dorming) & I'd get their decently used but fairly new in great conditon car, which is an incentive. But they have no problem with me going to any of these schools, it's all my decision.</p>
<p>I guess my question is, is giving up dorming worth it for Fordham?</p>
<p>What do you expect to get out of the dorm experience?</p>
<p>How much of that could you contrive to arrange if you live at home? Are you sociable enough to make friends through your classes? Are your parents the kind who will adopt all of your new college pals and encourage you to invite them over?</p>
<p>The truth is that more students in this country commute to school than live at school. If living at home is the only way you can afford the education that you want, you will not be the only one making that choice this year.</p>
<p>I, personally, think that dorming is a huge part of the college experience. That is if it is important to you to have the whole college experience. If you don’t mind living at home and going to classes and being more removed from the social aspect of college, then commuting would be the right option. It’s hard to make new friends in college even with living on campus, living at home is a huge disadvantage. My son transferred to New Paltz in his junior year. He had to live off campus as there were no on campus housing for transfers. His first semester was not that easy in terms of meeting people and he lived a couple of blocks from the school. NP requires freshman to live on campus their first year…they do a great job at a weekend long orientation where you get a head start meeting lots of other students.
However, as happymom said, there are many that do choose to commute through their college years. My husband was a commuter but now regrets that decision when he sees what he’s missed. Ultimately, the decision is for you and your parents to make. Best of luck whatever you decide.</p>
<p>I had a friend in college who compromised by living at home some years and dorming others. She had good friends from HS at the school, though, and sometimes stayed over in their rooms. </p>
<p>I think that Fordham is a much more legit school than Fairfield, but I admit that this is a prejudice stemming from my long-lost youth in Fairfield County, when no one I knew ever considered Fairfield U for a nanosecond. Things have obviously changed, but I think Fordham still has an edge.</p>
<p>This is a tough choice. I think that leaving the nest is a MAJOR part of the college experience. On the other hand, if you could work with doing so later, that might suffice. You might avoid some of the freshman year idiocy…</p>
<p>Can you do some research into opportunities for commuter students to be deliberately included in community at Fordham? Can you find out whether you could dorm part of the time, and how that would work in terms of room selection and so forth? </p>
<p>Can you commute by public transportation so that your parents would not need to buy another car and could possibly contribute $$ to dorming next year?</p>
<p>Before you consider whether you could replicate some benefits of the residential experience as a commuter, it would be relevant to ask yourself “What value do I get right now from living in the same house with the rest of my family? Could I have grown up 5-10 minutes away and have the same relationships and experiences by just driving in at appointed times?” And the answer to that question is almost certainly “no.” The same dynamic applies to your participation in your campus community.</p>
<p>Thank you guys for all the replies! I do love the idea of publicly transporting and then instead of a car dorm my soph year…</p>
<p>I was also thinking maybe dorm in freshman year & get the college experience and get to know everyone…& then if money is still an issue (depending on their FA package soph year), I wouldnt dorm, but I’d at least have established relationships. Or I could pick New Paltz come out debt free (or close to it) and dorm all 4 years.</p>
<p>Make friends and crash at the dorms - most students get over dorming after a year anyway and find it cheaper to rent an apt. Plus your closeness to Fordham allows you to spend a lot of time on campus. i would go to Fordham</p>
<p>Also, see what you can do about RA opportunities. I have a friend who lived off-campus her first year, then became an RA and had her housing paid for. Also, once you go to the school, they become more willing to up your scholarship so you can stay there.</p>