The first thing many rising juniors and seniors look for when taking part in their college searches is where they are located. One of the highlights of college for many incoming freshmen is that they are on their own and are finally independent from their parents. There is something many incoming students don’t consider: the prospect of commuting from home.

Commuting to college. The first thought coming to the minds of a multitude of college-bound students is simply, “No, not happening.” I will be the first to admit that this time last year, I was that senior. I had applied (and been accepted) to Arizona State University, and was overjoyed. I had lived in a small town in southern Pennsylvania since the age of five, and the prospect of living somewhere new, somewhere different; that excited me. Yes, I had been accepted to a commonwealth campus of Pennsylvania State University within fifteen minutes of my home also, but my focus was not on that. My focus was on the West Coast...until I saw the cost for tuition, room and board, and traveling. Or, more accurately, until my dad saw the cost for tuition, room and board, and traveling.

I was miserable and distraught. I had only applied to those two schools because my sights had been so highly set on Arizona State. The application deadline for any other college I had even put into consideration for attending had closed. I was, in my mind, stuck at home, and left to go through “high school 2.0” for at least another two years, which, at the time, was the last thing I had wanted to do.

Until I actually started.

Now, I am not going to sit here and say that being here is a constant stream of roses, unicorns, and rainbows. That would just be outright untrue (although, I believe it would also be untrue for any university and any other place in life). Every place has its benefits and deficits, but I think the benefits here far outweigh the deficits. If you are taking part in your college search now, here are 5 things you may like to consider before you brush away close, commonwealth campuses from your view.

1. You are going to get home-cooked meals every night.

Let me tell you, I have many friends who have left home for college, and they are getting ramen noodles and cheap chinese every night. That is understandable because they are college students on college budgets, but do you know what I am getting? My mom’s pot roast. She makes GREAT pot roast.

2. You are still part of a big community.

You meet TONS of new people. As a matter of fact, here, we have many students that come internationally to attend this campus. People still are college students, and you are still given the opportunity to take part in many clubs, activities, and the like, so long as you put yourself out there to do so.

3. MONEY.

I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. The friends that I mentioned before are currently drowning in debt. Those who are not currently in debt and are funded on loans will be engulfed in debt come graduation. I have received grants, yes, but I did not take any loans I was offered, and I am doing just fine. I will not sit here and say that it is cheap, because I still have tuition to pay. Money is tight, but back to point one: I do not have to pay for all of my food, as well as my living quarters. My parents, who have already completed college and have full-time jobs are providing that for me.

4. Traveling.

Another thing that many people do not think about is that since much of your money is going to room and board, a lot of it prevents traveling. “I’m not at home during the semesters, I’m obviously traveling!” Yes, but you are traveling within the confines of your college town. I, however, am visiting San Francisco, San Diego, San Antonio, and potentially London this summer, because I can afford that.

5. Parents aren't that bad.

This final point is specifically to those that believe that things will not change from high school if you remain home through college. I will tell you right now, my parents are not lenient people. They are not that strict, but they are protective, and like many other parents, care about their child’s well-being. Things have changed. I do not have to plan my schedules around the lives of others. I am an independent person, who has a lot more freedom to be out and about, to be working, and to be attending classes. They trust me a heck of a lot more because I am still an adult, and am still in college.

So yes, you are “stuck at home.” While that may be what you believe, being “stuck at home” implies that you are getting good food, heating and air conditioning, freedom, and the ability to travel, all while also getting a quality education. And for those who are commuters: you are excelling and you are equally as much of a college student as the friend you had from high school that is currently on the other side of the country.