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College

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by Gabby, Feb 18, 2014.

  1. Gabby

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    The college I plan to attend allows living on or off campus. I was just wondering which you all think would be the better decision. What are some of the benefits of living on/off. (the school is only about 20 minutes away from my house)
     
  2. volleyball girl

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    I would recommend staying at home. However, each has their pros and cons.
    Stay at home Pros:
    1. Save lots of money
    2. Comfort of own home
    3. No risk of getting annoying or loud roommates

    Stay at home Cons:
    1. Spending money on gas
    2. Not as involved in campus life
    3. Possible parking issues for class

    Staying at school Pros:
    1. Meeting new people
    2. You would be more involved in school activities.
    3. No need to drive to school every day
    4. Don't have to wake up extra early for class

    Staying at school Cons:
    1. Expensive (I think this is the main one)
    2. Risk of getting annoying roommate
    3. If you don't have a car, you have to rely on others to go out

    It really depends on the person you know? I lived on campus for 3 years. I liked that I didn't have to wake up so early for class or worry about parking. It was a good experience but I definitely like living off campus better. There aren't any weird rules like on the dorms and the rooms in regular apartments are bigger and you have more privacy. My advice? If you really want to, you should stay on campus for one year so you can get that experience. Afterwards though you should just save your money and stay home lol. I hope I didn't confuse you lol Hope I was able to help :slight_smile:
     
  3. Gabby

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    Awesome, thanks for the help! Parking would be an issue for me since it is a busy area. I think I may take your advise and stay for at least a year to see if I like it.
     
  4. volleyball girl

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    Yea. The school I went to for my undergrad was great. But man did it suck with parking. I literally would arrive hours early for a class just to get parking. Waste of gas driving around lol
     
  5. Gabby

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    I do enjoy my sleep so having to wake up early would not be the best for me '
     
  6. volleyball girl

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    Lol tell me about it. I have chronic insomnia. And one of my old roommates would always come hope at like 3 am. It sucked cuz I'm a light sleeper as well. Its all just a bad combo lol. What do you plan on studying if you don't mind my asking?
     
  7. apostrophied

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    20 min from your house? Definitely consider staying home. That's what I'm doing, and it's working out just fine. Sure, I don't get to make dorm friends, but it saves tons of money, and I don't have to deal with roommates and all that jazz. It's also a lot better for studying, because I'm in my own stuff, instead of stuck in a tiny room or a shared apartment.

    And I think that even if my home life leaves a lot to be desired, I'd rather be home than away. I feel really weird when I'm gone for a while...
     
  8. BMC77

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    I went to a local college for about a year. Commute was shorter--maybe 10 minutes. People from my old high school who went to this college (which was very close) almost always lived on campus. One story I recall: there was a guy who lived a few blocks from campus. He pushed his parents into letting him live on campus. After a long fight, they agreed for "one semester" so he'd have the experience. He never went back to living at home, as I recall.

    This said, I lived at home. A huge issue was cost savings. Even with the cost of commuting, it was far cheaper living at home. (It helped that the era had much more favorable gas prices, of course. Five dollars of gas--the minimum amount my mother put in--would propel a car further than the exit of the gas station. But I digress.) Cost savings aside, one thing I did like was that it gave me a better chance of having time totally alone--no living being around except the pets. As an introvert, I liked that. I also liked a bathroom that had privacy (no idea what the dorms were like, but I'd had a vision of the no-privacy gym style showers). And it was nice after really bad weeks being able to leave on Friday and think I'm outta here 'til Monday! Yippee!!!!.

    One minus(as mentioned above): living away from the campus does give a degree of isolation. That was a problem for me. But there are ways of working around that, like getting involved in some activities. Indeed, one could live in a dorm and be totally isolated if one only went to class, and spent the rest of the time in the dorm room with tightly closed door.

    ---------- Post added 18th Feb 2014 at 03:59 PM ----------

    Oh, yes, I forgot another dorm minus: the one dorm I remember being in had all the ambiance of a high security prison. Although I hear that dorms now are much nicer than they once were. But it is possible that old school type may linger at some colleges...
     
  9. Skov

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    You'll save money staying at home, but I HIGHLY recommend living in the dorms for at least your first year if you are financially able to. You'll be able to meet more friends and will have a better experience in my opinion.
     
  10. Gabby

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    I am going to study culinary arts and history. I want to be a pastry chef and open a bakery or be a history teacher

    ---------- Post added 18th Feb 2014 at 05:11 PM ----------

    thanks for all of the advise everyone!
     
  11. Mysz

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    I recommend staying home, even if it's your first year. You're pretty darn close, and let me tell you, dorm life isn't as great as people think it is. Sure, you can make friends and be more independent, but try getting some sleep on a Friday or Saturday night. Even sometimes on weeknights, you'll close your eyes, start to feel sleepy, then NOPE. Your roommate walks in and starts bumping into things, or you hear suspicious creakings and bumps from next door.
    Also, since you're so close, you can still get involved in clubs and organizations that don't require you to be living on campus (pretty much everything, then). You can go home for quiet time to study, eat good home-cooked food and then head on back to college for a night class or club. I could have gone to a college closer to home and commuted, and there are moments were I really regret not just doing that. It sucks when your roommate walks in drunk or sprays their yucky perfume all over themselves, mostly when you're trying to go to sleep or when you've just closed the windows because it's cold outside.

    Plus, you save a butt ton of money, which will really affect you later on if you decide to open a new business and need to take other loans, or if you become a teacher and need to work and study at the same time.

    Also, the rooms are generally pretty tiny and while mostly clean (where I go) you'll still find hair stuck in shower stall drains, a mess left in the kitchen sink, the cookware left unwashed, and people who put in their laundry and leave it there for hours while they go to class.
    Good luck on whatever you decide!
     
    #11 Mysz, Feb 18, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2014
  12. volleyball girl

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    That's awesome :slight_smile: I definitely don't know how to cook lol. I'm getting my masters in instructional design. which is just designing teaching instructions and improving performance at work
     
  13. Gabby

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    I do love being involved in clubs, and you're right I will save a lot of money. I didn't even think about saving the money for the business, so thanks! This really helped

    ---------- Post added 18th Feb 2014 at 05:19 PM ----------

    I love cooking and have even thought about teaching culinary at a highschool level. That's cool! Do you enjoy studying instructional design?
     
  14. volleyball girl

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    Nice :slight_smile: That would be awesome. i wish we had cooking classes in high school. And yea, I love studying. I can definitely see myself doing it for work and fun :slight_smile:
     
  15. SemiCharmedLife

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    +1
     
  16. Gabby

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    We only have 2 cooking courses which kinda sucks because I wont have one to take next year. Work being fun is the thing I hope I get as well
     
  17. volleyball girl

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    Im sure you will :slight_smile: Maybe you can teach me some recipes for dinner. I know how to make breakfast and i can do lunch. but i suck at dinner lol
     
  18. Gabby

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    Hahaha, of course I can, though dessert is my specialty
     
  19. Mysz

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    Just a thought, delicate meats and fishes that you can marinate in things make for lovely, delicious and light dinners =)
     
  20. volleyball girl

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    Sweet. I dont know how to do desserts either lol

    ---------- Post added 18th Feb 2014 at 08:49 PM ----------

    Nice :slight_smile: thanks. I do love my meat hehe