Hi! I’m a sophomore at a university and this is my 4th semester living on campus. My tuition is paid for completely through a scholarship but my room and board is not. I’ve had to take out loans to stay on campus. After this semester, my student loan debt will be right around $10,000. I am only half way through school. I live 32 miles from campus and go home on weekends because my parents are divorced. Saturdays I spend with my dad which is really important to me, and I do grocery shop, cook and run errands for my mother who is constantly working. My university is going to increase room and board and tuition costs like they have each semester I’ve been here. I’m full time, but only have class Tuesday and Thursday. Is a 35-45 minute commute too much? Will I be out more in gas than if I took the loan? (Roughly $1,750) I love living on campus, having a sense of independence and sleeping in until the last minute to head to class. But the more I spend in college the more apparent my student loan debt becomes to me. I want to look out for myself now, but also my future self as well.
Is $1750 for gas for the year? Do you have a job or will your parents help fund that without loans? Will one of your parents let you live at home for free? Is your car reliable enough for the commute? You might make a list of pros and cons and a list of actual expenses living at home versus living on campus to guide your decision making.
^^Great advice. In addition, think through what commuter life would look like for you as a student. Could you arrive on campus 4 days a week for the full day, not just to go to class but to use the library, etc. (I.e., treat it like a job) so that you are getting as much as possible from the experience? Does your school have a designated place for commuters? Don’t forget that you will still need to eat, so while that cost may differ, it won’t go away.
It’ll be a different experience but not necessarily a worse one. I would also explore part time work if possible.
Also consider if there are any distractions at home that could negatively impact your ability to study, such as siblings or family issues. Does the commute time consider bad weather and traffic?
Another couple of things to consider:
Could you rent an apartment closer to campus that’s cheaper than dorm costs? Are there any positions in your school (housing, ResLife maybe) that can help cover room and board costs?
I’ve commuted further to school while living at home, and I can tell you it’s a lot cheaper than living on campus. I even worked part time while doing it.