College is meant to be a time where you branch out and begin living a whole new life. I've found this to be especially true for myself as I've gone from living in a small town in northern New Jersey to dorming at William Paterson in a much busier area.
Here are five "big town" things I've had to get used to while living at college.
1. Public Transportation
In my small town of about 20,000 people, we barely even have sidewalks, let alone consistent public transport. We have one bus that goes to New York and that's about the extent of it. Living at college however, I was quickly introduced to the sometimes confusing world of public transportation. On campus we have multiple buses that come right up to the school to drive students to many different locations. I've definitely had some interesting experiences on public transportation (ending up in Warwick, New York by accident), but it's definitely a convenient way to travel.
2. Noise
When living at home, sometimes I may get woken up randomly by some woodland creature (I'm seriously not even kidding, there are foxes that scream outside our house at night), but overall I'd like to think we live in a pretty quiet neighborhood. However, living on campus in a bigger town has taken the noise factor to a whole new level. From leaf blowers, to people screaming, to very angry sounding birds, I've been woken up by a myriad of different things during my time at college.
3. So many food options!
This one isn't necessarily a complaint, but it's something that has definitely put my indecisiveness to the test. In my small town, our fast food choices come down to either Subway or Burger King, and people were genuinely excited when a Taco Bell finally made an appearance in our county. However, when living at school there are more places just within walking distance than there are in my whole hometown.
4. Diversity
This is another thing that is definitely not a complaint, but something that has made an impact on my life and who I am. While small towns can be thought of as cozy and friendly, there is often not a lot of diversity within them. I realized this when I went away to college and was surrounded by so many different people from so many walks of life. Being at a diverse college from a diverse area has definitely made me more open-minded and has changed the way I think in some ways.
5. Events and Activities
While some of this could be contributed to living on a college campus, it seems like there are always more things going on in big town areas versus my small town at home. A lot of the time, being at home is a lot of sitting around with people asking "What do you want to do?" There usually isn't a lot going on and most of the places we want to go are a considerable drive away. However, in a bigger town you are closer to so much more. From events to malls to anything else, there is usually something to do.
