Of all of decisions I made before attending Rutgers University, applying for a Living-Learning Community was probably the one of the best I've made. The community that I joined was called the Business Discovery House (BDH). The BDH had around 30 first-year students and two peer mentors. I was also the only one from my high school class to attend Rutgers, so being a part of the living-learning community really helped me make friends more quickly.

By knowing 30 or so people who have similar interest and majors, it was not hard to find a friend to sit with in the dining hall especially since Rutgers-New Brunswick is a very large university with four campuses. At least twice a week at about half of the BDH would gather a table for dinner.

Being part of an LLC gives you an extra advantage in networking and finding internships. Twice a semester, we met with our peer mentor twice a semester to discuss how things were coming along and ask any questions we had. Throughout the year our peer mentors would host programs on topics related to networking, career fairs, and interviews.

When registering for courses, we were automatically placed into certain required courses for business majors, which meant less worrying about trying to get into a class that fills up quickly during registration. When it came to homework and studying, I didn't have to go to a professor or TA to ask a question about an assignment or test as a first resort since the people living next door or on the floor above were taking the same classes as me.

Even if you aren't sure what you want to major in, an LLC can help guide you to the major that will best suit you. Through the different discussions and programs that are provided, you will be a to gain a more thorough understanding of that area of study than from just classes which will assist you in making an informed decision on what you want to pursue.

While LLCs are often for first-year students, some can include upperclassmen depending on the school and the program. While some universities charge extra on housing to be part of an LLC, others, like Rutgers, just require you to fill an application and conduct an interview. If your college offers living-learning communities, I would recommend applying for one since it does help you make friends more easily, give you an advantage academically and find what you want to as a career.