By Arpan Josan
One of the hardest decisions when starting college is deciding whether you want to dorm or commute. Whichever one you choose comes with its own challenges and rewards.
Most students attending Adelphi are commuters, which is either because the cost of living on campus is too expensive or they do not want to be away from family. When we think about the pros for commuters, we think of how you’ll always have the comfort of your own room. Since living on campus means having a roommate, you won’t always have the level of privacy when compared to your at-home room, where you also always have access to home-cooked meals.
By commuting, you’ll have a familiar place to go back to after a long day on campus.
“Commuting to college has allowed me to keep my job and allows me to see my parents every day,” said Annie Ngai, a freshman nursing major.
With the amount someone has to pay for tuition, dorming is an added costcould increase that amount. In this case, in which case, continuing to livestaying at home makes college a lot more affordable.
Along with the positives of commuting, there are also some downsides. By being a commuter, it can be harder to make friends and get involved in campus life. Depending on your preferred mode of transportation, it can be exhausting to deal with always going back and forth for a long period.
“I have to wake up early to drive to school and the traffic sometimes makes me late,” Ngai said.
Especially when you factor in bad weather, that can make your commute even longer. Even if some people stay at home because they want to be close to their families, others can view their families as distractions and might not enjoy living with them. This would make it difficult to study or get any work done. Scheduling is also another negative factor: a morning class might force you to wake up earlier than usual to be on time.
On the other hand, living on campus makes being involved with university life much more convenient. You don’t need to worry about traveling a long distance because all your classes are right next door. Ultimately, you’ll have a much easier time managing your classes and won’t have to worry about traffic or the train schedule.
“When dorming, you get to live with all your friends, time management is easier and you get to be independent,” said Jay Gallagher, a freshman psychology major also minoring in criminal justice.
By being on campus all day, finding a friend group won’t be as hard since you have a roommate as well as other students who live in your dorm hall. Being away from home also means that you get new experiences and can see what it’s like living without your parents.
Entering a new environment can be exciting but adjusting to it can be challenging at first, especially for students coming from other states or countries. It can be difficult to navigate your new surroundings.
“The dryer in Waldo doesn’t work and if you live far away, you can't really go home that much,” Gallagher said. “And if you have pets, you have to leave them, too.”
Homesickness is just one negative aspect of dorming, and dealing with noisy roommates is another. You sometimes have to handle loud noises even late at night due to other people in your hall. Being in a dorm also means getting sick a lot. With that many people living in a hall, any sickness could spread rapidly. Since you are sharing a bathroom with plenty of others, you have to trust that they do their part to make sure it’s clean. It might not always be the most comfortable experience when trying to shower or use the bathroom.
Whether you dorm or commute, there are various pros and cons of both. Whatever choice you decide to go with, be sure to make the most out of your college experience!