Usually after one year, students have the choice between living on campus or commuting, assuming they are a reasonable distance from school. I have experienced the perfect split of housing options during my undergraduate studies. First year, I was in a typical single-room freshman dorm with one roommate. In my second year, I lived with two roommates in an on-campus apartment. Third year, I lived in an off-campus apartment about a five minute drive from campus. Lastly, fourth year, I decided to commute from home for my last semester, which is about an hour and fifteen minute drive to and from.
Due to my varied experiences, I have insight into pros and cons of living on campus versus commuting daily. Living on campus means close proximity to class, and the opportunity to live independently or with friends. However, commuting also has its advantages. For students that enjoy living at home and have a reasonable commute, but are also torn between that and the ease of living on campus, I have some suggestions to consider before you make a final decision.
**For the sake of simplicity, I will be comparing living at home and commuting versus living on-campus. Commuting from a nearby rented apartment would be a mix of the following pros and cons.
COMMUTING PROS
- Money Saved
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Room and board typically costs between $10,000-15,000 per year on-campus. Additional meal plans that may be necessary or required can cost a few thousand dollars extra. Most families do not charge their commuting children rent, so the cost of living at home is $0. This allows students to save their money and avoid accruing more debt on top of tuition.
- Living With Family
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If you are willingly considering staying with family, that typically means that they support you and make life easier. With students for whom this isn’t the case, this may be a con. However, living with family means that you will likely not have to fend entirely for yourself. Perhaps your parents will go grocery shopping, make dinner, or do laundry while you cram for exams. It definitely beats having ramen for the fifth time this week for dinner because you do not have the time or money to grocery shop and cook. A nearby support system can make a huge difference.
- More Personal Space
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This may also vary depending on your living situation, but living at home usually entails having more personal space. I went from having my own room and bathroom at home, to sharing a single room with someone my freshman year. Thankfully, my freshman year roommate was amazing, but this arrangement would definitely be difficult if you are constantly stuck in close proximity with someone you do not mesh with. Furthermore, on-campus facilities are not always in the best condition (e.g., my A/C unit had black mold and made me sick for an entire semester).
- Break From Campus
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If you live on a more quiet college campus without many things to do, being able to get off-campus is a necessity. When I lived in a dorm, we could not bring our cars, so we were essentially stuck on campus 24/7. Commuting allowed me to be on-campus for classes and other obligations while still being able to leave to a different environment once I finished my responsibilities for the day.
COMMUTING CONS
- Live With Family
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In contrast, living at home can be a nightmare for some students. Some families are abusive, overbearing, or even just nosy, so living at home may not be an option but rather, a huge deterrent. This depends heavily on personal circumstances. It is worth noting that living on-campus does not mean your roommates will be any better to live with, especially if they are assigned randomly. Irrational or very messy roommates are also terrible to live with, and many do not show their true colors until you are stuck with them.
- Time Wasted Commuting
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As college students, we do not have a lot of free time. There are some days when I wake up, study, sleep, and repeat. Depending on how long the commute is, this could be an hour or two wasted on just commuting. If you have an early morning class and/or late night class (worst case scenario), sometimes this means waking up early, being on campus for twelve hours, and coming home late, just to do it all again the next day. Personally, this reason is why I waited until my senior year to do my long commute from home. For my final semester, I only have class twice per week, so the trade off of the time spent commuting is significantly more manageable than if I had class five days per week.
- Requires a Reliable Form of Transit
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To commute, you either need a car or dependable form of public transit. This means spending money on a car, inspection, insurance, gas, etc. or train/bus passes. Additionally, the further your commute, the more likely something could make you late to class. For example, a flat tire, no parking spaces available, or missing the bus.
- Packing Your Entire Life
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Commuters cannot just stop at home in between classes. We have to pack for classes and anywhere else we plan to go that day. This means potentially packing a bag for class, sports practice/gym, club events, work, and more. Sometimes when I pack for my busy days, it takes a good twenty minutes to remember everything I need and pack it. Forgetting something is not an option.
With all of that to think about, choosing a living situation can be very stressful, but once you’ve decided the best fit for you, it makes time management in college a little bit easier.