Commuting to College: Pros and Cons

Post Reply New Topic

Has anywhere ever commuted to college? I'm thinking about commuting next year. I have about a 45 minute drive. Since I can't stand living in a dorm, I think it is the best option for me.

I do. I don't know if you're able to take a bus or something, but if you have to drive it'll be bloody expensive. I have my own car which costs $250 a month in insurance, and $80-%100 bucks every 2 weeks for gas. Factor in things like repairs (the stupid things LOVE to break down, ALL the time) and it's bloody expensive, especially since you have to juggle school and working enough to pay for it AND save money for down the road. Also, my drive is only 25 minutes each way. Unless your parents just pay for everything, like some people I know. Then you're golden. I'd personally LOVE to stay in a dorm, but as you said in your other post you can't tolerate it.

Some obvious pros and cons are:

Pros
Can be cheaper if dorms are really expensive.
Not having people staying up way to late at night if you want to get to bed which could disturb you.
Less exposure to communicable diseases


Cons
Lose commuting time

Cost of gas

Car maintenance or breakdowns

If you commute try to schedule your classes on two or three days rather than a full week so you don't have to travel as much.

I dormed my freshman year, but currently commute. While I can't say which experience would be best for you, I know that I am personally much happier as a commuter. When I lived on campus, I felt my energy being drained away. Being around people 24/7 was exhausting. I I couldn't eat, do wash, or study in the privacy of my own space. Ironically, I have made many more friends as a commuter, because my quiet time at home each evening and on the weekends helps me to be much more lively when I am on campus for classes, work, or extracurriculars. When I lived on campus, I felt overloaded, and subsequently withdrew. I didn't have the confidence to attend club meetings or run errands, and I just wanted to be left alone. Now that I am not on campus all day, I find college much more manageable and I want to take advantage of every minute that I am at school so I can seek out new opportunities. I think everyone has different socialization preferences, but for me, less is more--I am much more successful when I can socialize in planned chunks (a club meeting, a work shift, coffee with friends), rather than 24/7 social immersion. However, I have heard that some people find the social environment of dorms to be very empowering--for the first time in their life, they have many, many friends--and as a result, they become much more outgoing. This is all a matter of personality.

I also think it is important to consider your overall mental health. Prior to starting college, I had many unresolved challenges that I really should have addressed before moving onto campus. During freshman year, my anxiety crescendoed. It was nerve-wracking for me to walk twenty yards down the hall to take my clothes out of the dryer, because I was so scared of people. Being in an environment that cultivated this much anxiety proved to be toxic, and I lost the zeal for my schoolwork that I usually have, and spent a lot of time on the computer, depressed. I have found it much easier to grapple with anxiety issues when I know I can go home at the end of the day and be somewhere familiar. College requires many adjustments of oneself on an academic/emotional/vocational level, and tossing in the social dimension proved to be too much for me.

Finally, don't underestimate the importance of organization when deciding whether to live at-home or in dorms. My poor organizational skills sabotaged me on almost a daily basis. I couldn't find my homework, wasted a heck-of-a-lot of money buying replacements for items I lost, and, on a daily basis, was locked out of my dorm because I lost my keys. During my senior year of high school, it seemed like moving on campus was the best way to overcome my challenges ("baptism by fire"), but I swiftly discovered I was woefully unprepared. Organizational issues don't magically go away at college, if anything, the tight, harried environment of dorms magnify them. I devoted this year to improving my organization, and while I have been far from successful, compared to last year, I am doing much better because I don't have to shove all of my possessions under a tiny dorm bed--there is space for me to spread out and develop organizational infrastructure.

Now that I am a much more confident individual, I know that I could move back on campus if I need to at a later point. I only wish that I had lived at home freshman year, because I think I would have been able to ease myself into the college experience and would have been much more productive and optimistic. Not to mention, I could have saved myself $8,000 of unnecessary debt Remember that regardless of which living situation you choose, if it doesn't work out, you can always change during another year. The question to ask yourself when considering dorms: am I more successful when I am exposed to gradual changes, or do I prefer to dive right in? If you have any other questions about dorming or commuting, I'd be happy to answer them!

I go to a community college, where everyone commutes!!

I commute by 2 buses (NJ Transit) and a train in between!! ! And i have a monthly bus pass (finally a discount by the college) and a smart card for the train so i don't have to pay with cash!!

If i ever decide to commute by just 2 buses, I would have to pay in exact change of 65 cents over my 1 zone monthly pass to go through an extra fare zone!!

I commute to college because there's no "dorm" option here, but even if there was, I wouldn't be in a dorm unless I didn't have the option of commuting at all or having my own space. There's nothing like getting home after a day of studying/preparing/extracurriculars/partying/whatever, specially for someone with AS. To me, dorms are a last resort thing.