In high school, many of my friends
talked about the college experience. “I want to live in a dorm,” they would
say, “so I can get the full college experience.” Who determined that every
college student must live on campus? Living in a dorm never appealed to me, for
both social and financial reasons. When exploring colleges, I researched
institutions that allowed me to live at home and commute. At the end of my
search, I settled on the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, a 20- to 25-minute
drive from my house.
After informing my friends of my
decision, I could not ignore the looks on their faces that suggested I would
not receive a “real” college experience. They equated commuting with (gasp!)
community colleges, which they saw as inferior. Contrary to their belief, there
is absolutely nothing wrong with community colleges; many are perfectly competent
institutions. Based on their views, I wondered what disadvantages I would
experience while attending a commuter college.
I am now in my second year at UNH
Manchester, and I love it here. There are advantages of commuter colleges that
I never realized during my college search. Therefore, in this blog I will share
the good and bad experiences of commuting to college. If you are considering
commuting to college, or already do so, I hope this blog can help you feel more
confident with your college decision.
Photo courtesy of: http://content.wow.com/wiki/University_of_New_Hampshire_at_Manchester
In my future entries, I will discuss the
challenges and hidden surprises I encountered during my first year commuting to
college. Some of the topics will include: deciding where and when to study;
eating meals on campus; finding time to work and play; getting involved; and adjusting
to overall community. My goal is that this blog will help ensure that your
college experience is an investment that pays dividends in enjoyment and
success.
This is a really interesting point about commuting. Good for you for following your gut and going to school where you could see yourself being the happiest. Everyone envisions their college experience differently, and where you live should not impact how much you are learning or how much fun you are having.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting perspective about commuting! Personally, it wasn't my first choice but I am totally in agreement with you about the pros of commuting!
ReplyDeleteHi Caroline!
ReplyDeleteReally great article. For my first year of school I went to a college in Georgia. Living in a dorm is very different than commuting and I definitely miss living on campus. But commuting has a number of benefits even though it is an option that is often underrated, like you said.
Caroline — I really like this piece. I, too, as a senior in high school thought that I needed to have the full college experience. I had the full college experience for about 5 semesters and spent way too much money in doing so on a variety of things including tuition, housing, and other things associated with living away from home. It really wasn't all it was cracked up to be and I ended up moving back home, commuting and working two part-time jobs. Honestly, I'm better off now that I made that decision. Commuting is definitely underrated, but it works for me!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really cool read Caroline! As a first-year student with pretty mixed feelings about UNHM and the commuter experience, your post pointed out some very reassuring positive aspects that I hadn't taken into consideration. I think it's awesome that you found such a perfect match for your preferences. I look forward to reading your future posts on the topic!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the benefits of commuting. My first year of college was spent up at the Durham campus where I was to receive "the full college experience." At least for me personally, it was all that it's cracked up to be. Not to mention the huge financial savings in not having to pay for room and board. I look forward to more of what you have to say on this subject!
ReplyDeleteI too, live off-campus although I have just a teeny tiny commute so I can't complain. I am very interested in hearing more about what you found most beneficial to commuting VS dorm. One of my main reasons was and is the fact that I am a health nut and I truly need to food shop and cook for myself, something I couldn't really accomplish in a dorm.What an interesting subject to choose!
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