Is commuting to school right for you?

   

     You're probably thinking to yourself right now, "Do I want to commute to college?", which is most likely why you found yourself reading this blog. The answer doesn't come as easy as we would hope. Do I really want to live with my parents? Do I want to waste all this gas commuting to school? Is it going to be worth it? These are all questions that I asked myself before I made the decision to become a college commuter. 

     Now, perhaps you're thinking why I decided that commuting would be the best decision for me. I originally started off my college career attending the University of Hartford. I lived on campus, dealt with my fair share of horrible roommates, repulsive community bathrooms, and gut-wrenching cafeteria food. The spring semester of my sophomore year I decided to have doubts whether I wanted to continue my education here. After already making so many friends and establishing my own "group" it was an extremely difficult decision that I had to make about whether I wanted to transfer.  Being from the Worcester County area, I knew that Worcester State University was a great college that could offer me everything that I was receiving from the University of Hartford at a fraction of the cost. The decision to become a commuter was honestly a no-brainer. The amount of money that I would be saving from living at home was enough to convince me to commute to college. Another factor that made this decision easier for me was the fact that I already had a lot of friends who I knew that went to Worcester State. I graduated high school with many of them and knew others from work. Okay, I know that as you are reading this you're probably thinking that I had a few factors that made it simpler for me to make the conclusion about whether or not to commute to college: the already existing friendships and the proximity of my home to school. Even though I already knew a good amount of people that went to my University, I wasn't guaranteed to have classes with anyone that I knew, and this encouraged me to make new friends. If you have a reliable vehicle, your college is relatively close to your home, and you are looking to save thousands of dollars, I think that commuting to college is the smartest solution. Although it might seem like you're missing out on "the college experience" from living at home, I can guarantee you that, from my experience, you won't be missing much. Let this give you the opportunity to talk to students in your class and to make friends this way. I encourage this because someone that you befriend might be a resident on campus, which would allow you to have a spot to hang out at between classes and provide you a taste of what it's like to live on campus. If after reading this you're still not sure about whether commuting to school is right for you, I can promise you that it has been the best decision that I have made in my college career. In my next blog post I will be providing tips to being a successful college commuter...stay tuned!