When thinking about going to college you might have a set idea about commuting to school or living on campus. Personally, I have done both and I can share my experience with you all. For starters when I was a senior in high school, I didn’t really know where I wanted to go to college, so what college I chose would determine if I were to commute or live on campus. I made the choice to go to Rutgers University–Camden. I only live about 15 minutes from the Camden campus; it made sense to commute, especially when thinking about it financially.
During my freshman year and the Fall semester of my sophomore year I commuted to campus. For all three of those semesters I had class every day, so I was at Rutgers–Camden what felt like 24/7, especially because I am very involved on campus. What was nice about commuting was I had what felt like the best of both worlds: I got to see my family and all my friends from home whenever I wanted, but I also got to have my whole life at school which was separate from my home life. However, I felt myself falling into a rut because of the constant back and forth every day, so I looked for a way to change my routine.
What I did was somewhat of an extreme change in routine; I applied to be a Resident Assistant (RA). This way I could tell my parents that I had to live on campus because it was part of the job requirements and hopefully not hurt their feelings in the process. Over winter break of my sophomore year I was hired as an RA and moved onto campus for the Spring. I had somewhat of a hard time adjusting to living on campus at first. I wasn’t sure what to do with my free time at night when I was done class, and I had very few friends that lived on campus since Rutgers–Camden is mostly a commuter school. Also, my suitemates had already been together for a semester already and I was the new person in the room.
However, by the end of Spring semester I was in the swing of things. I made more friends that lived on campus and I started going to events at night hosted by various organizations, including the Campus Activities Board (CAB). Some of the events that CAB hosts includes, bingo nights, comedians, game show nights and even roller skating that all take place on campus, for free! Fall of 2020 will be my fourth semester on campus and I am looking forward to it. Some of the benefits of living on campus are that I’m able sleep in more than I could when I commuted (as I do not need to factor in the drive time), I can meet up with friends at the library to study at any point in the day or simply walk over to their rooms, and I’ve been able to gain a sense of independence.
Living on campus or commuting doesn’t really matter in the long run, it is all about what you make of your college experience. If I wasn’t involved in my freshman year, then I probably would never have thought to apply to an RA which requires you to live on campus, which led to me getting more involved. My advice to you is just to make the most of it while you are here, because before you know it, you are going to be starting your senior year of college wondering where the time went. So, if you are commuting, don’t just go to class and go home; hang out with people in your classes, join clubs, walk down to the waterfront, or even get a job on campus! For those thinking of living on campus, don’t go to your classes and then immediately back to your room! Take the same advice.
Hope you found this post helpful, and best of luck future Scarlet Raptor!
Written by Emily M., a Rutgers—Camden Undergraduate Student and Raptor Ambassador.