Experiencing my freshman year at SUNY Albany as a dorming student made me realize why college is set up for students to live on campus and all the pros that come with it. I loved everything about campus life at SUNY Albany and I miss being able to say that I was a resident student. While commuting is not awful and does have some perks, those who dorm will collectively say that dorming completes your college experience in more ways than one.

There are two major pros to consider when living at home during college. You will always have a great home cooked meal (Thanks, Mom!) and the price is always cheaper which is a huge plus. Various college students simply do not have the money to afford on-campus housing and this can be a better financial option for some, which I respect.

Although the cost will be lower, you will also be missing out on the full college experience, whether it be going to hang out seshes with your friends or making connections at career fairs; living on campus provides you with the full college experience that you want. One aspect of living on campus that is overlooked is the increasement of communication skills and how to mature as a person.

Living at home will postpone your growth as an individual and seems to make you feel as if your not independent when we all know that us college students will have to be making decisions for ourselves sooner or later. A major con is the disconnection I have to my new campus, commuting back and forth is making it harder to have a true connection with my school and making my learning experience a little more difficult. There is limited interaction with teachers or students and a place that is supposed to feel like my “second home” starts to feel awkward since my social and academic opportunities seem restricted.

Also FOMO is a real thing. You will be missing out on a huge part of the experience. Bottom line, if you have the opportunity to dorm, you definitely should.