Entering my third year at Montclair State, I can say there have been a lot of things that have changed since my first day as a Freshman. However, the one thing that has remained a constant, is the struggle of being a commuter. To this day I still ask myself what is better? Dorming or Commuting? Now before I begin I would like to make it clear that the purpose of this article is NOT to say that one is better than the other. This is more of a close examination of both lifestyles, how they are similar, how they are different, etc. It is up to YOU the reader to decide for yourself which is better. The following five categories are what I will use to make this comparison: living, social life, academics, parking, and traveling.

1. Living: Dorm Life vs. Home Life

The obvious and biggest difference between living on campus and commuting is the living situation. For the student who chooses to dorm, it is like practicing for when you move out on your own into the real world. You are given a lot of freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want. You can go eat at a dining hall or go to a nearby restaurant or fast food place to grab some dinner or you could also stay in and cook for yourself. You are also allowed to out whenever you want and come back whenever you want without having to worry about a curfew. But also with that freedom comes a lot of responsibility. For one it is now up to you to decided whether to go out all night or stay in and study for that chemistry exam you have the next day. And while it may seem like a lot it's actually a good learning experience. You learn how to manage your time and how to balance your school work and your social life. It is like an early taste of adult life and you do a lot of growing up during that time. While it is not the cheapest experience available it is still a great experience for college students

Now the commuting life style is different obviously since you are still living at home. The upside is you have a place to sleep and not have to pay thousands of dollars for it. You get a home cooked meal every night for free. You still live under your parents roof so you still abide by their rules but you also have your biggest support system there with you every day. Even though you still live at home you still have the same responsibilities as students who dorm especially when it comes to time management. But at the same time you do not have to worry about paying for housing but still get the same educational opportunities as the other students.

2. Social Life

For both sides it is possible to meet and interact with new people but I will admit that it easier to meet new people if you dorm. You are able to get acquainted not only with people that are in your classes but specifically people who live in your same building or even on your floor. Also if you dorm your roommate is an obvious potential friend. And also if you are a dormer, there are other buildings all around you and that means more places to hang out and meet new people. If you know someone who is in a fraternity or sorority or you yourself are in one, your frat's house is an ideal place for social activity.

Now before I get ahead of myself, commuter students have the exact same opportunities. They can go to club events and sporting events just like any other student and meet new people. They are also able to meet fellow commuters and make friends as well. I can share from my experience that I have made friends with my fellow commuters as well as a few dorming students. Now while making friends is not hard, the hard part is sometimes keeping them, especially being a commuter. After each semester ended, I found it hard to keep in contact with people I made friends with. When you don't live on campus and do not see the same people every day it makes it harder to keep in touch, especially when you don't have the same classes as them.

3. Academics

Academically, both choices are pretty even. There is no major difference between the two. Both have access to all resources available the school provides including libraries, computer labs, etc. Whether you dorm or you commute you both should take advantage of all the resources available to you.

4. Parking

The situation of parking is exactly the same for both sides. I know from my experience at Montclair that trying to find parking is tougher than most of my classes. For commuters, parking is a more common issue for them since they are responsible for finding their own parking every day and it is never in the same spot. I can remember being late for many classes just looking for a parking spot. But while the issue of parking is common for commuters, dorming students have the same issues. At my school more recently, we had an increase in commuter parking lots and have had to take away parking from the dorming students. When it comes to schools that have more commuting students as opposed to those who choose to dorm, there are going to be less parking spaces available due to the larger number of commuters. Not all schools are the same as some have designated parking for commuters and designated parking for dormers. To me the issue of parking will never truly be solved because there will always be a large number of students and the number of students always outnumbers the number of parking spots.

5. Travel

Traveling is a special issue for college students. For dorming students, they either have the ability to have their car on campus and can drive around whenever and wherever or they have no access to their cars and have to walk around . For dorming students, they live closer to a lot of the resources that they need whether it be a dining hall, a local restaurant, the library, the gym, etc. Everything is just a walk away from them and they learn to know their know their surroundings as a result. When it comes to going to class, students can just walk or take a shuttle to get to their classes and they can choose whether or not to go to class. They learn time management when it comes to classes and some even purposely take earlier classes just so they can be done for the day, catch up on some sleep and do whatever they want the rest of the day. Its a very good learning experience as you learn to get better acquainted with your surroundings, you can always find new places to go around campus, and you can always take your friends out for midnight food runs and have endless choices of places to go.

For commuter students, they have to worry a lot more about time management when it comes to going to class. They have to manage what time they leave their house, worry about and try to predict traffic, and then have to deal with the previously mentioned issue of parking. Some students take the train to get to campus and have to worry about train schedules, the possibilities of delays or cancellations. Other issues like weather conditions, car troubles, accidents all play a role in possibly preventing students from getting to campus. They also have to base their schedules around travel as well. And unfortunately if they have long breaks in between classes they do not have the privilege of going back to their bed and getting some sleep until their next class. Currently I have a four hour gap in between classes and since I can't just drive home and come back (I've thought about it, it would never work) I stay on campus and find things to do to pass the time. But in that case it is an opportunity to get more work done before heading home, which in my case is why I rarely ever have homework. Traveling is not always easy and can be very tiring but it is also a good learning experience as you get better acquainted with the roads and it is a good practice for when you are an adult having to make the long commute to get to work.

All I can say that my experience as a commuter has been a good experience. I get to go to a good school and get a good education, save money and still have a place to sleep, still have a home cooked meal every night (if you've had my mom's cooking you will understand why) and I have been able to make new friends and be more social. It has not been the easiest lifestyle but it is not one that I am ashamed of. I have also experienced the dorming life when visiting my friends at their schools and the dorming life is a fun life to live as well. Having a roommate to talk to every night, having endless places to go get food, and always being around new people and getting to be more social. The transition from high school to college is not the easiest one to make and which ever route you choose to go on choose the one that will make your college experience the best it can be.