Mostly everybody stays on campus when going to college.
And when I mean mostly everybody, I mean probably about 97 % stays on campus. Since I am a freshman I believe there is only two to three students, including me BTW, that commute to school. I don't know how much are commuters in the other grades and in our Graduate school but I'm pretty sure its not much.
Months leading up to orientation weekend, I got really nervous because I was a commuter and everyone that I would ask were planning to stay on campus and I was very worried that I wouldn't make any friends. BUT I also knew that being a commuter and making friends is what I make of it. I needed to join clubs, talk to people in my classes.
Knowing that I needed to join clubs helped me a lot with my anxiety about being a commuter.
I am very lucky because my one of my old best friends from high school before she transferred to a different school turned out to be going to the same college that I am currently enrolled in. We were so excited!
I'm already an organized person and I have to have everything planned out but as a commuter, I have to have a lot more things planned out now.
Such as when to get up, what time to leave the house, I have to think about traffic when driving to my college, around what time do I usually get there, my classes, when to head to my next class, what time I should get lunch at the cafeteria, when to go home, etc.
Phew! That was a lot just typing it, let alone living it.
Anyways as you can see commuters lives are very hectic. I don't hate it but I wouldn't say that I absolutely love it.
I like that I can already get an idea of how its going to be in the workforce, especially since I plan to be a surgeon which my job will be a lot more hectic because I'll be on call for a lot of the time.
Although many people tell you that staying on campus is the most way to get the full college experience, in my opinion that not technically true. I am definitely getting a college experience by commuting.
Yeah, sure I don't go to parties every weekend. I mean my college is small anyways so there's not much going on but still I have a great group of girlfriends and they make my commuter life so much more enjoyable. I enjoy most of my classes even though all the homework, essays, quizzes, notes, exams are atrocious.
As a commuter I love college, and on the bright-side you're saving a lot of room and board money. Sure, if you drive to college you have to buy gas every couple days and you have to buy food or take some from home but its great.
Every commuter experience will be different . Some worse and some even better than mine.