Whether you’re living at home, in an apartment or a condo, if you are living off campus then you know what it’s like to be a commuter. Commuters are the people who walk, take a bus, or drive to class everyday. They struggle to find parking spots on campus, they pack a lunch or bring money to school because they don’t have a meal plan, and they spend long breaks just sitting around campus since it’s not worth going back home for only 2 hours between classes.
I am a commuter. It hasn’t been the easiest experience in the world, but it also hasn’t been the hardest. My freshman year I had the priviledge of living in a college dorm, and it was great. I made tons of friends, didn’t have to worry about groceries or money, and could just walk back to my dorm when waiting for my next class. One of my best memories of college so far came from living on-campus
Don’t get me wrong, living off-campus is way better than living in dorms, but life is so much easier when you only have to deal with a small room that is easy to clean, Living on-campus makes not having a car okay because you could get everything on campus, and you had friends that lived right down the hall to eat dinner with. However, living in a condo or apartment comes with a lot of responsibilities. You have to make sure you’re keeping your place clean (especially so your roommate doesn’t get mad at your messiness!), paying rent on time, and you have to keep in mind that you have neighbors that may be older or have children.
The greatest things about being a commuter have nothing to do with school, but more with your lifestyle and social life. Living in your own place allows you the chance to have more space than you did in your dorm (and even some of the on-campus apartments). In an apartment you have a kitchen and a family room, and some lucky people get to have their own room and bathroom. Regardless of the setup of your place, you have the option of leaving your room for another room in your apartment! If your roommate is sleeping in her room you have the chance to watch TV in another room. If she has friends over and you need to study, you can just go into your room. Roommate relationships aren’t so tense and aggravating when you each have your own space to do what you want and you aren’t in one another’s faces 24/7.
You also have the chance to cook awesome (and healthy) meals when you live off campus. Your fridge has 1000x more space than the mini-fridges found in dorms, and the kitchen at your place has awesome appliances and no freaky, disgusting messes and leftovers that your other less considerate dorm mates tend to leave around for others to clean up. Having a kitchen to yourself allows you to give yourself time to experiment with cooking. You can figure out what you are good at, and what you need to work on. You have the option to choose the items and foods you get to eat everyday, and can find out where that food comes from. You don’t have to worry about how they are being prepared and cooked. You can also have dinner parties with friends, and can bond with your roommates through cooking.
Living off-campus also gets you out of that university bubble. Once you’re out of it, you realize that there is so much more to experience outside of the school. Sure when you live on-campus you take a few weekends or have a free day to go into the city, or to take a hike on a trail, but when you live off-campus you realize you have more time to get out. It’s even easier when you have your own car or are in walking distance of everything. I live in walking distance of the movie theater, Barnes and Noble, a bunch of restaurants, and the bars. It is so easy to go out to these places and just relax or have fun, while if you were on campus it would take finding someone to drive you. As a commuter you are able to discover new places that appeal to you such as your quiet place or your favortie hangout spot. You find special places that are near and dear to your heart, and that no one understands the way you do.
Of course, there are also some negative aspects of living off-campus. Living off-campus means that getting to school is a lot harder, which means leaving your apartment or house extra early so that you can get to class on time. This can be very difficult especially when your school (cough, cough Towson) has horrible parking. Some people wake up and leave an hour or two before their class actually starts so they can get a good parking spot near the building their class is in. When this doesn’t work some students have to park very far away and then must walk to their class which results in them being late. Parking for class can be stressful and also expensive for a commuter!