I commute to Regent University, yet I do not feel deprived of a “proper college experience.” My time at university has been extremely educational and fulfilling, so far. I do not regret my commuter status because I know, for a fact, that I would not be this satisfied with college if I had lived in the dorms.

By nature, I am an extreme introvert; I love the solitude of the night. I know several people who live in the dorms, and they often share stories or post on Facebook about the dorm life. My mind cannot fathom the amount of social interaction and community activities that the on-campus students partake in. I could never handle that extreme amount of noise and banter. If my roommate made pizza and invited everyone to come over and have a slice, I would literally run away. If people from another hall showed up at my hall to sing songs to everyone, I would scream. I am not saying that I hate people and refuse to attend different events; I have a few genuine college friends, and I only dedicate my time to events that I am seriously interested. I can be social when necessary and when I want to, yet to me, being in an environment that thrives off of an abundance of human interaction sounds like Dante’s deepest level of Inferno.

I enjoy the freedom that I have as a commuter. I have a car and a job. While on-campus students can have these things as well, I often feel that I still possess an advantage. I can go anywhere I want at any given time. I am not bound by curfews or mandatory meetings; I am not obligated to participate in the dorm socializing or drama. I can wander away from campus if I need a break from the college environment. I like having the option of not being at Regent on the weekend or my days off. Too much of a good thing can sometimes become a fatal strangling. Some Saturdays, I introvert at home or create a makeshift workspace at Panera, and when I come back to campus, I feel refreshed and grateful. There is something so liberating about having the option to leave if one desires to.

Finally, being a commuter allows me to focus more on my education. I came to Regent University to learn, not to make friends. I treasure my Regent friends, but they were an added bonus to the college package. I am not paying thousands of dollars and obtain eternally dark under eye circles to merely find buddies or pals; I am paying to receive an education. I will admit that I am that annoying student who always sits in the front and finishes assignments weeks before they are due, yet I do this because I want to get the most out of my classes and excel in my studies. I am not saying that students who live in the dorms do not care about their studies; I am simply recognizing that it may be more difficult for them to be studious with the constant distractions of noise, activities, and human beings in general. I do not think I could healthily function in such a people infested atmosphere. As a commuter, I can separate myself from the human world and crawl into a book or two without interruption; now, that is my idea of a proper experience.

I am in no way bashing students who live on campus. I have several on-campus friends who are studious, introverted and awesome; however, I certainly do not wish that I was one of them. I, personally, need the option to separate myself from an environment to introvert or study, if necessary. I could never stand the idea of continuous noise and human interaction. The commuter life almost perfectly suits my personality and desires. I currently reside in a place where there are more books than people, and that is why I love being a commuting college student.