Going into freshman year, I worried that my college experience wouldn't be like everyone else's because I was going to be living at home. The school I chose to go to was only about 20 minutes away, so as much as I'd liked to have stayed on campus, paying extra money for the sole purpose of moving away didn't make much sense.

At the time the commute itself did seem a bit unappealing, as I'd have to wake up a bit earlier for class, and who really wants to do that? Not to mention having to shovel my car out from under piles of snow in the winter, and of course, sitting in the nightmare that is rush hour traffic.

I also thought that it would make me feel a little more isolated, and that it would be harder to make friends.

What I did find in the years to come however, is that being a commuter student does have its perks and despite what many may think, I don't believe I've missed out on much by choosing to experience college in this way.

For one thing, I was spared from having to purchase the dreaded bathroom flip flops. Sharing a bathroom with a bunch of other people does not sound like the best of times, and being able to have one for myself while living at home isn't something I am going to complain about.

And speaking of privacy, I enjoy having my own room; a place to go to when I want to be alone. I can also just sit in my room all day looking like a complete slob if I so desire, and no one will judge me. Except maybe my cat.

Also, meeting people wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Going to a school in my hometown, not everyone in the sea of college students was a complete stranger, which did make it a little easier to adjust to my new surroundings.

However, I met a lot of great people in the classes I've taken throughout the years, clubs I'd joined, and sometimes just completely out of nowhere. Some of the people I met in freshman year I am still friends with, three years later and about to graduate. I learned that if you want to make friends, you'll easily be able to do so. As with anything, it's just a matter of effort.

I am also able to devote time to things outside of school, like friends who also stayed at home and my family, and being able to see them more often is pretty cool.

Free food, free laundry. There won't be another time in my life when I can just come home and not have to had paid for the food in my fridge, washing my clothes, or rent. There are many advantages to living on your own, but having someone to take care of you for at least a little while longer is nice.

I'm not saying that living on campus versus living at home and making the commute to school everyday is better than the other or vice versa. But do think that I really enjoyed my time in college and if I were to go back and do it again, I'd do everything the same way. After all, any experience is an experience, it just depends on what you make of it.