Commuting gets such a bad rep sometimes, but honestly it was one of the best decisions I have made. Yes, it does have its cons. It can be difficult, but there are definitely pros to cancel out the cons. I'm not going to lie, it is a lot of hard work, and there will be a lot of times where you will regret the decision to commute. But honestly, it isn't bad if you look at the long term outcomes: You save a ton of money! One thing I am always asked is if it is hard to stay involved and feel apart on campus. You can be as involved or uninvolved depending on how much you are willing to put the effort in. It's all on you. If you make an effort to stay on campus as much as possible and stay late to make it to those clubs and hang out with friends, then it won't keep you from having the college experience that you want. If you want to save money and are willing to commit putting the effort in, then commuting, if you are able to, is definitely something to consider.
PROS
1. Food.
One of the biggest perks of living at home is still being able to have home cooked meals whenever you like. You don't have to worry about cooking your own meals or living of off microwave macaroni and cheese and oatmeal every single day. And you are less tempted to go out and eat, which saves a ton of money!
2. Your own room: for free!
Having your own room is always nice. If you live in a house with friends and you want your own room, you will have to pay more versus sharing a room with someone. But living at home gets you your own room and for no cost.
3. You save a ton of money.
The main reason to commute if you can is to save money. It is insane how much you can save just by commuting for one year. Dorm life is so expensive, apartments are expensive, and living in houses near campus can still be expensive. If you are worried about student debt and are able to commute, even if it is just for one year, I highly recommend it. It will be so worth it in the long run.
CONS
1. All your friends are on campus.
One of the biggest things I struggle with is that all my friends live on campus, so they are all about a 25-30 minute drive away. It can be hard to have a connection with your campus and your friends if you aren't constantly there. Commuting is a lot of dedication, and you have to commit to being on campus as much as you possibly can so you don't miss out on any opportunities. Honestly, it can be pretty exhausting, especially when you don't have a place to relax during the day while all your friends are in class. But I said it before and I will say it again; it will all be worth it in the long run.
2. Scheduling classes and work.
Your days will be busy, and this can be stressful at first, but you will get the hang of it. You have to plan your scheduling carefully and you have to consider many factors. One big thing to consider is traffic. Schedule your classes after rush hour in the mornings. Trust me, you will want to avoid morning traffic if you can. You will also want to plan your days so that you leave campus after rush hour in the evenings. I normally stay on campus until about 9:30PM-10PM at night because of clubs and hanging out with friends, plus I always avoid the traffic. Another thing to remember is to not leave gaps between classes and work. If you have an hour or two to kill between two classes or class and work, you don't really have any where to go. If you're like me, you can't start homework and have to stop after an hour or two. Schedule your classes and work schedule back to back so that you have the rest of the day to work on homework.
3. Gas money.
You save so much by just commuting, but you do have to get gas more often than usual. It is nothing in comparison to how much you save, but it also important to consider that you will spend a lot of money on gas per month. But just remember that you are still saving so much just by living at home.
The commuter life has it's pros and cons, but honestly it isn't bad. When you hear stories about people who commute and feel disconnected from campus, consider the fact that maybe they are not getting as involved and putting as much effort in as they should. I thought commuting would be the worst thing after hearing these stories. But by talking to my friends and hearing how they made it work, I realized that commuting and still being apart of campus life is definitely doable if you are willing to put in the work.
