It’s no secret that college is a very different adventure in a young adult’s life. For example, I live about an hour and a half from my university, and I choose to commute to school. With that, there are clearly pros and cons in the direction I chose. Here are just some of the few that I have experienced as this type of student.
Pros:
- Saving Money
Without going into too much detail with the finances, I can safely say that I saved about 84% by purchasing solely gas for a semester rather than paying for a dorm. This is comparing the costs of a dorm with the number of days/miles traveled and the cost of filling up my car’s tank. I’ve also calculated that if I were to live on my own (in a studio apartment for hypothetical purposes), I could save up to 16.67% in a semester. That is with comparisons to dorm and meal costs at school with rent, bills, gas, and groceries.
- The Beauty of Silence
Some students who reside in dorms can coexist with up to three people. Since one’s dormmates aren’t typically family, it would be seemingly awkward to adjust to a lifestyle of living with three others. Additionally, as someone who doesn’t generally enjoy engaging with others on a 24/7 basis, it is nice to have my own space. This is especially because I don’t have to worry about how others perceive my living.
- Not Stuck Around Campus
Most of the students who live in dorms do not have vehicles, especially if they are freshmen. This means that they have to rely on their legs to make their way around outside of campus. It can be hard to do so, specifically if there is nothing around your campus within comfortable walking distance. However, as a commuter, I can take the five days I don’t travel to school to hang out with friends, drive to places, work, and more.
Cons:
- Hard to Join Clubs and Community
Commuter students do not have [comfortable] places to stay on campus, and we have to adjust our travel to our schedules, specifically if there are no gaps between classes. Therefore, it is very difficult to join clubs and communities at our universities. Though not impossible, the ability to attend in-person meetings is conflicted with our availability. It would not make much sense to drive a total of three hours to attend an hour meeting or event at school.
- Travel
As mentioned in the financial statements above, there are costs to traveling from home to campus and back. Some may see this as a disadvantage because of the mileage or commitment to drag ourselves out of bed to make it to campus on time. Not to mention the bit of difficulty when it comes to finding parking on campus. However, as someone who likes driving, I see this as an opportunity to be with myself and enjoy the time I have on the road.
- External Factors
With travel comes external factors, like weather and traffic. These are uncontrollable factors that play a huge role in a commuter’s life. If we experience traffic, we have a chance of missing one or two of our classes. If there are hurricanes, rainstorms, snowstorms, etc., that happen on the way to and from school, that can greatly impact our mood and mental state.
It is not easy to commute to school two, three, or even four times a week. The cons vary from traveling expenses to the fear of missing out. However, do the pros outweigh the cons? As a commuter, we can save money, study at home in silence, and be free of the invisible barriers around our campus. Either way, the college experience as a commuting student has been exciting thus far, and I am excited to explore the new territory that awaits me.