When it came to college, I had no idea I’d be in the situation I am today as a first-time homeowner and commuter student as a sophomore in college. No, I am not married, and no I don’t live with my parents. I am a single lady living on my own without roommates or a pet. It’s weird, disorienting, and a little bit lonely to say the least.
It’s been teaching me what it means to really be an adult from the simplest things: driving, getting groceries, having gas in my car, etc. As a freshman in college, I often poked at the idea that adulting was hard and that I was adulting. But reflecting on this past year, I wasn’t even adulting as much as I thought I was. Back then everything was easier and I took that for granted. I didn’t have to worry about too much because I lived in a dorm across the street from my college, I never had to drive, I never had to cook or buy groceries, and food was just a meal swipe away in the dining hall downstairs. Freshman year was filled with ease and comfort. As it should be.
Now, as a commuter, I always have to plan ahead and think about whether to park far away for free or pay to park very close to campus. I can’t stay at Cronkite all day like I once used to because now I have to leave before my parking expires. I have to wake up at 5 a.m. every day, because of my class and work schedule to ensure I have time to get ready and drive to campus before morning traffic hits and it gets too hot when walking from the parking lot. If traffic is really heavy I try to leave 45 mins before my 7:30 am class and 9:30 am class and it usually is a 30-minute commute. Whereas is I leave 1-2 hours before my morning classes it only is a 15-29 minute commute on the same route.
If I want to hang out with friends, I have to make plans at least 1-2 days before and head to the day I have plans so I can get a parking spot close by. It’s a lot harder to do things on a whim like late-night trips to Starbucks or late-night study sessions with friends.
I have learned to be more conscientious of my time and finances. During freshman year, I didn’t really have to worry too much about spending money because my scholarships mostly covered everything. I rarely ever spent money because I took the free intercampus shuttle to get to my full-time job, only paid for an occasional uber to cover a story or attend an event, and only ate out once a week or every other week with friends at an off-campus restaurant.
During my freshman year, I also rarely had to think about time management because everything was within a five minute walking distance so I could spend as little or as much time as I wanted whether it was in my dorm, college, Starbucks or favorite study spots. I could also stay as late as I wanted for club meetings and extracurriculars. Life and getting involved was easier, to say the least. Saying yes to things didn’t have to take much thought and no’s were rare.
I’d say the biggest difference I’ve felt living off-campus is the slight feeling of disconnect and lack of comfort. I think living in the dorms there’s so much comfort because you’re always bumping into your friends, you constantly meet new people, and you’re able to have spontaneous conversations and get very involved.
Now don’t get me wrong, being a commuter isn’t all that bad. I still get to be involved with my clubs, extracurriculars, new internship, and a full-time job, I just have to plan that involvement. Which is actually really nice because I am a lot more conscientious of time and my life feels more organized.
Unlike freshman year, I am not waking up at different times each morning or going to bed at ridiculously late times. Instead, I now wake up at 5 am every day, stick to my sleep routine and feel so much more productive than last year. I also like living in my own place because when I leave class and go home I get to decompress and unwind more than if I lived on campus and was at the mercy of the noise levels of my neighbors in the dorms. It’s also nice because I get to plan and cook all my meals which can seem stressful but turned out to be peaceful because I found that I really like cooking and playing music or playing my favorite tv show.
Morning drives in traffic also aren’t that bad because I found I have some bomb playlists and love to sing along a little and jam out in bumper to bumper. Grocery shopping also isn’t the worst nor is washing dishes or other adult things. I’ve found that keeping a positive attitude and adding music to the silence helps make little chores and tasks more enjoyable.
Having my own place off-campus is also great because it’s easier to spend time with family and they are able to visit me from out of state anytime they wish. Where in comparison, living in the dorms I only got to see them two times each semester and missed out on holidays like Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to not spending the holidays alone again.
Overall, there are pros and cons to both living on and off-campus and I love that I have had the opportunity to experience both. If you’re debating between where to live I recommend analyzing your current schedule and lifestyle and seeing which works better for you. Everyone lives on campus at least once but living off-campus isn’t for everyone. Some questions to ask yourself when debating moving off-campus are how will you get to class? Do you have a car? Am I close to public transportation? How far is the walking distance to your classes? How will you pay for gas? Do you like to cook? Do you like to stay up late? Do you like to wake up early? There are of course more key factors that need to be considered but you know yourself and your lifestyle best and you’ll know if living off-campus is the right choice for you.