Community College and Residential Colleges are two different experiences. When you go from having to drive to campus to living on one, it can be a big transition. It's a culture shock.
When I first moved onto campus I don't think I really knew just how different living on a campus would be. Community College was definitely very different from living on a college campus. I drove to campus everyday, had to plan for twenty minutes to drive, and usually about ten for parking and walking to class. If I forgot something I usually just went without it. I had to make friends in clubs or classes, or chances were I wouldn't have them. I went to classes, did homework in between, and went home when my last class was over. If I wanted classes to be the only thing I participated in on campus then that was it. I had certain friends I would meet up with, and certain clubs I would stay on campus for, but at the end of the day I had to go home. When you live on campus that college becomes your home.
Going to a Residential school is definitely a different experience. It did take some adjustment. The experience is bittersweet. For the first time I couldn't just go home whenever I wanted without having to be in the car for three hours. I couldn't just go spend time with my friends anymore, they were three hours away. But I was living on my own (with the exception of a roommate) for the first time. I was semi-independent, and it was a little freeing. I went from driving to campus and having my home life and college life separate, to having them combined. I lived where I went to school . Making friends is a little easier, because there's always someone around and living around people allows friendships to be formed much faster. If something gets forgotten I can just run back to my dorm. I don't have to leave a half an hour early to get to class. Getting homework done is a lot easier because I somehow have a lot more free time. I can get up twenty minutes before class if I decide to. Instead of having to meet friends at school, I live with them. (though of course I still miss the ones at home.) There is something unique about living on a campus, the atmosphere is different, and it is like a home.
