At the beginning of our college careers we are faced with many large decisions. What am I going to study, what is my maximum amount that I can afford for the tuition, and most importantly, do I want to live on campus or commute? When I first started my college hunt, there was no question as to whether or not I would live on campus. I wanted the freedom away from my parents, to be out on my own and making my own “big girl” decisions. My parents had never second guessed the decisions I had made for myself, but of course they had their moments where they would restrict me from going out with friends. They were never strict, just protective. At eighteen years old, I found them to be annoying and overbearing, but looking back on those times, I know now that they were coming from a good place. I needed that structure because not being allowed to go to the party that everyone else went to, made me avoid the peer pressure that everyone gives in to.
My first year of college, I was assigned to live in a single which I was very excited about. I have always been one to like having my own space. There are times that we all just need to be alone to get that ten-page paper done, or just time to breath and reflect on whatever it is you may be going through. I loved my single; most people think that having a single limits your socialization skills, but there was never a time where I didn’t over fill my room with my friends to study, watch movies, or eat all the gluten-free cookies my mother would bring me on the weekends. I met my two best friends living in a single; they were always the ones I would run to at three in the morning crying and still to this day, the ones I run to with everything.
My second year, I had transferred into Mville because I did not like the academics at my previous school. Since I had only decided to attend about three weeks before classes started, I was put into a random room with another student that had transferred in. Living in a double was not ideal for me, but I made the best out of the situation. We are only really in our rooms to sleep and binge watch Netflix anyway, right? The following year, I got back into a single while also getting the fun of living with some new friends in a suite. At first it was fun, but I was starting to fall behind in my school work from all the parties, and I was not comfortable in my living situation. By the end of the year, I had only been staying on campus once a week because the situation had been out of control; I finally understood why people had always said not to live with your close friends because it could ruin friendships. My last year living on campus, I had lived with four girls that I had never personally knew, but had heard nice things about. They turned into some of my closest friends; no matter if we were upset about something, we all still cared about each other at the end of the day and were able to resolve any and all situations. Living with them was one of the best living experiences I had while being a resident at Mville
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This is my last semester at Mville, and I decided that I would commute from Oyster Bay in Long Island. The decision for me was very easy; once you come to a certain point in your life, you realize that you need your family. I was never very happy with living on campus given the situations I was put into. Yes, being a commuter sometimes takes a toll on me; it is never fun sitting in two hours of traffic, but I make the best of it. I often still spend the night on campus, but I find myself missing my dogs, one sleeping on my head and the other at my feet with them waking me up every morning at seven-thirty on the dot. I love the comfort of my home, and studying at my desk in my living room with my strawberry candles, the light from the sun and the mood from the skylight. It is the little things in life that make everyday worth living. As a commuter, I feel happy knowing after a bad day I can go home to the comfort of my bedroom setup the way I like, cuddling with my dogs, and having my mother’s food.