One of the main debates when trying to choose a college is whether or not you want to live on campus or commute to school. If you currently or have previously commuted to campus, you probably understand these. If you are looking into college, this might help you choose if commuting is for you. Commuting to campus has many pros and cons. Here are just a few of them.
Pros
1. You can get off campus whenever you want.
Commuting to campus allows you to leave whenever you want, even when you're a freshman. Most campuses that students live at don't allow freshmen to take their car with them, and if they do allow it, it's at a very steep price. Having the freedom to leave campus whenever you want is a giant plus. If you want to go get lunch on your breaks between classes, you can. If you can't leave in between classes and end up getting hungry, you are going to get stuck with whatever food your campus is serving.
2. Quiet nights.
Living on campus seems like a great idea. You get away from your parents, dictate your life and hang out with friends all the time. All of these are great, but two of the major downsides to living on campus are the noisy roommates and how loud campus is in general. You don't want to be that one kid on campus who gets all the parties busted or that complains all the time because they can't get any sleep. A good way of preventing this is by not living on campus in the first place. You decide when you go to bed, not your rowdy neighbors.
3. Money.
Many students who live on campus are not able to get jobs just because they don't have a car. Without a job, they end up not having money to buy anything, especially if they need food but blew their money on things they didn't really need. Commuting to campus is a big plus because it means you have the opportunity to work and make money. With this money, you get to do whatever you want with it because you made it. My recommendation, though, is paying off school.
4. Mom's food.
Let's admit it, almost all moms are the best cooks in the world. Everyone might not see it that way, but because you were raised on your mom's food, that's what you grew to like. Commuting to campus, if the campus is close to your mom's house, allows you to get your mom's food whenever you want, as long as she wants to see you that is. If you lived on campus, you'd probably end up eating instant ramen for most of your college career. If you live near your mom and you're a commuter, you're almost assured some of the best food in the world whenever you want at no expense to yourself!
Cons
1. Spending most of your day in the car.
Commuting to campus for some students means spending the whole day in the car (well, it feels that way). You have your daily routine, which usually involves leaving for school one hour before your class even starts, and that's if you want to get to class on time, not just earlier. Some commuters don't have to deal with this unfortunate struggle because of how close their house is to campus, and they are the lucky ones. Most commuters are in the car so much that in the time it takes to get from their house to their campus, they feel like they are middle-aged by the time they get out of their car.
2. Always getting gas.
Commuting to campus means you have to fill up your tank more than usual, especially if it's a long commute. With gas prices always changing, it could really cause you to have to cut back on your spending. Buying gas is a real hassle sometimes and if you aren't observant enough, you might run out of gas a few times on the way to school.
3. Less motivation to go to class.
One of the perks of living on campus is the fact that you have a bit more motivation to go to classes. If you don't live on campus and you have a really comfy bed, you're a bit less likely to actually go to class. If your alarm only goes off once and you sleep through it, you probably won't be waking up at a time that you'd be able to make it to class. If you have two classes and you miss the first one, what's your real motivation to make it to the second class? You are probably thinking, "is it really worth the gas?"
