When most people think of going off to college, they think of the experience being as the first time living away from their family, away from the hometown they’ve lived in for close to their whole life, and away from the friends and other relationships they’ve created and maintained for so long. Yet, when it comes to state schools, there’s a little less diversity. A majority of the students are from the respective state and dorm. The minority of students that do commute live within an hour away from campus... or five minutes, on a good day, like I do.
I never imagined myself going to Rutgers as an undergraduate, and one of the main reasons why was definitely because of the proximity. It’s closer to my home than my elementary, middle, and high schools. On a day with traffic, the drive can take up to fifteen minutes, and without, it can be as short as five because I only have to cross a single traffic signal. Living this close to campus definitely has its perks, but as with everything, it has its downsides as well.
1. I don’t really need to factor in the drive into the time it takes to get to class on time or get home on a bus from one of the three campuses where my car isn’t parked.
Unless there’s inclement weather, like pouring rain or a foot of snow from last night’s blizzard, because most of New Jersey definitely won’t stop for such inconveniences.
2. And because of that, I get bored of my usual route
As someone who thinks of driving as a fun hobby and pastime, I hate that most of my commute is down a single main road. I barely get three good songs in playing on the radio, and half the time is taken up with switching stations. To make this part of my routine a little more interesting, I sometimes end up taking a longer, more twisted route back home or to campus.
2. Two words: Home Food!!!
I absolutely love my mom’s cooking and dining hall food is something I’m extremely happy I get to avoid. Coming from an Indian household, my taste and need for diversity in food is drastically different than most of what can be swiped by someone who dorms.
3. And of course, being with family
The ease with which I get to come back home during classes during the day is amazing. Of course, when I do come back for a break during the day, my whole family won’t be there, but it’s a good chance to just catch up or help around the house if I’m not feeling particularly lazy. There are times when I feel like I need my space but if I do, again, it’s not hard to get it with a little commute.
4. You get to know the in’s and out’s between the four campuses and not just the shortcuts inside of them individually.
This is a major advantage, especially as I am the type of person who likes to find new ways and different paths to get places. Since the buses only take the highway most of the time, it’s easy to forget that there’s a community outside of the borders of Rutgers. Knowing and figuring out the roads and towns that connects one campus to the other, or even all four of them at once, gives me a greater appreciation for the area, more so now since I’ve been living here practically my whole life.
5. The evening/nightclub meetings and exams.
I get most of my work done during daylight hours, give or take an hour or two before and after the sun rises and sets. Even during high school, I was never really someone who was productive during the night, so I’m just getting used to that now and it’s been somewhat difficult, to say the least. Now in my second semester, I’m still getting into the habit of being both mentally and physically active after 9 or 10 pm, a time I usually use to wind down with some tv and to be with family, not plan club activities and stress about how to do the next problem on my chemistry exam. Also, taking the bus back from College Avenue at 11 at night and walking to my car in a dark, empty parking lot is not the best experience for a paranoid mind.
6. There isn’t much room for spontaneity.
Most of my meetings with friends, both commuters and dormers, have to be scheduled or are because of having the same classes. I don’t have the comfort of being around some of the same people that I live with or see every day for longer than a couple of hours so it’s harder to join in when checking out a cool new spot or restaurant when I’m on the other side of campus or on my way back home.
Like I said before, living so close to campus has both its benefits and downsides, but it’s definitely a unique situation, and a fun icebreaker when meeting new people throughout the semester.
