<p>So guys, I'm a HS senior graduating a month from now and I will be attending a local-respectable university near me and I will commute. I am not planning to stay at the school for four years as I will be looking to transfer out to a different after a year or two. The school that I will be attending at the moment is St. John's University (Don't know if all of you are familar with the institution). I am not concerned academically, but socially. I'd like to make a good note on the first few year(s) of the college experience. I was wondering if it's possible to find a nice-good close group of friends to be with you from in to outside of school? I am looking for support from different people so it can be valuable to me as I go along the road. Has anyone who attended a local university before or a good one like St. John's and were able to find (a) knit-knot "clicking" relationship/friendship(s)?</p>
<p>I know that wearing cool outfits to represent value of neatness & "fit" and joining club organizations are two of the main priorities, but what are some other things?</p>
<p>Unless St Johns is primarily a commuter school (which I doubt), your biggest handicap to starting fresh is that you’ll be a commuter. Most of your classmates will be making their friendship bonds in the dorms, late nights, dining halls, etc. It will be tough to break that “outsider” feeling.</p>
<p>Your commuter situation is not impossible to overcome, but if your priority is start fresh and build new friendships, you may seriously want to reconsider your commuter status.</p>
<p>I live about 10 minutes-drive away from the school. My family constrained me from dorms since it would cost extra money for the annual tuition.</p>
<p>However, once classes are over, I am looking to stay on campus, do homework, and if I have time, I’ll commit to some ECs near or over the weekend. I suppose that’s enough for a commuter student right?</p>
<p>I commuted for a summer program and lived on campus for a year, and it was MUCH easier to meet people while on campus. However, I did live 40 minutes away, and the friends I made while on-campus weren’t in my dorm at all. To me, commuters only lose time. If you’re that close to campus and are willing to stay, you shouldn’t have any issue.</p>
<p>I currently commute to my school as well and probably will until I graduate. Quite frankly, unless your school is full of commuters like yourself, it’s going to suck. At my school, 99% of the kids either live off campus in their own apartments or live on campus. Very few (if any) kids commute from home like myself. </p>
<p>Personally, while I do know people on campus, I rarely ever see them unless I have a class with them. And of course, classes are not conducive for socializing. </p>
<p>Sure, you can try to stay on campus into the wee evening, but it doesn’t help if you don’t know anyone already. This is particularly hard to do as a freshman, because since you’ve never lived on campus and never had the ability to form interpersonal relationships with your peers, people are not going to invite you to hang out in their dorms or whatever. Trust me, I’ve tried, and people simply told me to ■■■■ because they barely knew me.</p>
<p>Additionally, joining clubs and be “involved” does not completely alleviate the lack of acquaintances and friends when you are a commuter student. </p>
<p>If you are really going to transfer after the first year; go ahead, live at home. But otherwise, get a dorm or else you will have a very bitter college experience. If there are many commuters at St. John’s, then being a commuter might be more manageable; otherwise, like I’ve said, it will suck.</p>
<p>I commute in a school that has few commuters as well.</p>
<p>You don’t commute (at a non-commuter school) to build a really strong social life. You do it to save money and focus on schoolwork. I think you’re fooling yourself if you think otherwise. </p>
<p>If socializing is a top priority for you, don’t commute. Nothing compensates for dorm life in a school where almost everyone lives in dorms–not classes, EC’s, whatever.</p>
<p>You can, however, make plenty of friends as long as you’re fine with searching outside the campus. Doing things, like volunteering, can build lots of friendships. Most won’t be with people from your school, though. At least this was my experience.</p>
<p>I went to a school with a lot of commuters and commuting still sucked - most of my high school class also went there and it was just the same crap in a different location. Going Greek worked for me, but I’m not sure if St. John’s has a Greek system and if you’re transferring eventually anyway, you might not want to join a chapter only to move to a different school that doesent have the same organization. You’ll save money as a commuter, but if you want a social life, you might have to wait until you transfer.</p>
<p>My husband commuted his first 2 years to BU. Back then they had a commuter lounge where commuters could meet each other. He ended up getting an apartment with two of the guys he met there for their final two years of school. Check to see if your school has something similar. He didn’t like commuting. When we talk about our college experience, his was very different than mine (not as fun). I think you can find a connection with others at the school, you just have to work harder to find it.</p>
<p>BC has a commuter lounge, too, if I am not mistaken. But, I’ve noticed that a lot of non-commuters use that lounge to facilitate their own activities. Plus, the commuter student union doesn’t even exist anymore, given how few commuters BC currently has. </p>
<p>The only good thing that the administration has done recently for commuters was offering lockers for commuters so that we could store stuff on campus. They also let us have first dibs on parking permits, too. </p>
<p>However, it is understandable why the administration doesn’t really do a whole lot for commuters - there are so few of us anyways, so why bother? </p>
<p>Oh well. I’ll be glad when I finally get my degree, obtain my first job, and start my adult life in proper.</p>
<p>St. Johns has a ton of commuter students. I am from the area (I am assuming this is the St. Johns in Queens, NY, since I know there are others…) and know a ton of people who commute. You won’t be alone at St. Johns; the only dormers I know of are international students, people from out of town and others who can afford it on top of tuition. You just have to make sure that you make the effort (schedule classes to allow yourself to stay on campus a bit, use the library or the student union type thing, make sure to join ECs and make sure the class schedule allows you to) and you should be fine…</p>
<p>If this isn’t the same SJU, then ignore the few sentences pertaining to that school XD</p>