Commuting

After six weeks of being a commuting college student I have seen many pros and cons in the decision to stay at home rather than living on campus. The decision for me was easy since I live 20 minutes from my school. In making my decision I looked at factors like, money, practicality, and what would be best for academic growth. I choose to commute because it saved me a lot in tuition, and it isn’t practical for me to live away from home if it is only 18 miles away. I have noticed many positive things about my decision, however I have also noticed many things that made me wish I would have chose to live on campus.

            On of the worst parts about being a commuter is the social aspect of it. You are only at school for your classes and then you go home. You have fewer chances to meet new people and make friends. That makes it very important to get involved in a club, sport, or organization so you have the chance to meet others with the same interests as you. Just because you don’t live on campus doesn’t mean you aren’t a part of the school. So if you are a commuter make sure you get involved because if you don’t you may be missing out on lots of opportunities.

            Another downfall to commuting isn’t just the social aspect, but it can also affect academics as well. Students who live on campus can go to tutors and use academic resources like the library basically whenever they want. They also live in a setting that is probably more suitable for focusing on schoolwork. A commuter may have more distractions if they live at home. I personally feel like there are more distractions studying at my house than there would be at the University. I have also found you have to watch how you schedule so you don’t have massive breaks in between class. It wouldn’t be much fun sitting in the parking lot for 3 hours. Being able to live on campus and have all the academic resources available to you seems like it would be a huge advantage.

            Some pros to commuting are the money it saves you in tuition. Deciding to commute cut my tuition nearly in half. It also makes it easy to work and keeps me close to my family and friends. I also race motocross and I wouldn’t be able to do that if I was living away from home due to the amount of preparation on the bike before the race. Living at home also keeps me away from negative influences and allows me to focus on my work. Don’t get me wrong friends and family can be a distraction, however they provide a positive influence unlike being around parties. Commuting isn’t for everyone. I’m not the most social person in the world so its not a big deal for me not to stay on campus, but some people may enjoy getting away from home, everyone is different and everyone makes different decisions. Even with all the cons to commuting I still feel like I have made the right decision.