Residing on campus vs commuting

[Teachin'Mine]

I came across this article in the news and thought I'd post it here for the parents of rising seniors who may be thinking through commuting vs living on campus issues.  In the article it says that 20% of freshmen commute, but it's important to know that that's only out of the top 245 schools.  The actual percent of commuters is much higher than that considering all who attend community college and other state schools near where they live.  The article is also very much slanted towards the negatives of not living on campus and doesn't highlight some of the benefits of commuting, but it does bring up some things to consider.  So with the disclaimer that sometimes commuting is absolutely the better choice, here's the article.  

 

http://news.yahoo.com/weigh-benefits-drawbacks-living-home-during-college-130000989.html

[Teachin'Mine]

Here's a more balanced, much better article on the pros and cons of either situation.  Some great suggestions for commuting students as well.

 

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/should-you-live-at-home-to-save-money-during-college/

[shawthorne44]

Wow, the second article had this:  " In a recent survey, 85% of college seniors said they plan to move back home after graduation, according to Business Insider."

[FaithManor]

It is, I believe, a matter of best fit. For C, since he is still in physical therapy and faces another surgery it has turned out that commuting is the best option for him. He has joined both the swim club and the gaming/programming club in order to keep himself involved on campus. In terms of home life, we are setting up a dedicated study area for him, and as he is the one that needs the most nurturing into the young adult years will have parents that are willing to do a little "hand holding" or hovering if that is what it takes to get him through in good stead. It's been a bad, bad year for him physically and emotionally, and he is just not at a place with his sleep disturbance issues, pain levels, etc. to tolerate a roommate situation nor likely a very good roommate candidate himself because of those issues.

 

DD commuted from my aunt's house. She was a pragmatic child and 100% academic oriented, did not care a lick about social life and didn't have time for it anyway since she was carrying a full class load and training for EMT/Paramedicine. So it worked well for her because aunt is a widow and very quiet but liked having her come and go.

 

Middle boy is most definitely going to be happiest, most fulfilled, and most successful living on campus. Youngest is a shy kid, but we both believe needs at least a year or two if not four years of living on campus to help him blossom. Of course, finances as a general rule are going to be the big issue because at some point we will have all three in at once so the amount we can give each one will be much lower than it is starting out this year with only one in college.

 

If college costs continue to outpace wages by such an amazing percentage while parents seem to be becoming more and more informed about the private student loan industry, I think it entirely possible that commuting will become more and more common along with off campus housing. I know five guys at MSU that share a two bedroom cottage off campus. Sharing it five ways and working on campus in the summers so they are there year around and taking extra courses, means they all get out a semester early which saves a lot of money, and their room and board costs are cheaper. I think their rent and utilities is $1000.00 so divided by 5 that's only $200.00 a month, and they can walk to campus or ride public transport. Meanwhile R and B for only what amounts to about 8 months of the year was over $1000.00 a month per student. These boys are most definitely NOT eating $800.00 a month in food.

 

I am seeing more of this. We also know a girl that is only 20 min. from here that commutes to MSU which means she has a 1.5 hour drive each way. On the other hand, her parents own the car, and insurance and gas is way cheaper than room and board. Not ideal. But she is motivated and makes it work. She also packs a lot of food, and her diet is extremely healthy but she figures she would eat much a much less balanced diet if she lived on campus with a meal plan. It's not for everybody, but again, she is making it work. She is also making use of online courses and summer classes in order to graduate under 3 years which is a rather grueling plan but also saves a LOT of money.

 

Given the costs, I think what it boils down to is whatever works financially for many, many families.

[regentrude]

Cost is an obvious factor, but the less obvious issues need to be taken into account, too. Several of my commuting students mention how difficult it is to attend tutoring and help sessions or meet with a study group, because those are often after classes are over in the evening hours, and it takes a lot of discipline to stay on campus late to avail yourself of those invaluable opportunities. I even had a studnet move into town after several failed attempts to pass foundational classes, because he pinpointed his commuting home as one major factor in his underperformance. So, the commuting student may need to be extra aware of these drawbacks and make a dedicated effort to participate, even though the drive home earlier in the afternoon seems very tempting.

[J-rap]

I think it's whatever works out best for students and families.  Sometimes I get tired of people saying you have to live on campus in order to get the whole college experience.  While I get the benefits, I wonder if this "college experience" is more of an American concept.  In other countries I have traveled to, students seem to usually continue living at home or move in with a family member who lives close to the school.  Or, they might look for an apartment with other students.  There are no dorms, or if there are, it is very limited space only for extreme circumstances. 

 

I know American schools are set up in a way that living in a dorm for awhile can help you more quickly and easily feel like part of the community, and there are other benefits as well (evening activities, etc.). 

 

But either way can work.  I loved living in the dorms my last two years of college (went to community college and lived at home for the first two).  My kids haven't liked dorm life, and mostly figured out different living arrangements.  That worked for them and they saved a lot of money!

[Joules]

Here's a more balanced, much better article on the pros and cons of either situation. Some great suggestions for commuting students as well.

 

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/should-you-live-at-home-to-save-money-during-college/

I thought the tips were very helpful. Ds plans to live at home and commute. We plan to move "home" to be close enough to his college (which is restricting his search to places we want to live, but that's his choice).

 

Some collleges require freshman to live on campus unless with their parents. I'm not as fond of those options since 90+% of their freshman live on campus. I can see becoming an outsider in that case. He's trying to look at colleges with no residency requirements that have more like 80% freshman in residence. I'm hoping that an honors college with a building will give him a home away from home on campus.

 

Lots of moving parts to figure out in my life in the next year!

[Gwen in VA]

I think how doable living off campus is depends both on the student and the college.

 

Our experience -- last year dd2 attended a "Public Ivy" that is about 1.5 miles from us. (Yes, she has occasionally walked to campus!) She was one of SIX freshman who lived off-campus last year out of ~1000 students. In other words, less than 1% of the freshman lived off campus.

 

Living on campus was expected. It was the norm. Dd is very social, but living off-campus in a basically on-campus community was a challenge.

 

Living at home last year was the right thing for her to do, but honestly I wouldn't recommend living off-campus for FRESHMEN attending a college where most freshman are living on campus. (Living off-campus as an upperclassman is an entirely different issue!)

 

 

 

[Liza Q]

Both my girls lived at home through college and it was really a no-brainer for us. No debt. The commute was never more than an hour and they had no problem being as involved as they wanted to be. One went to a local private LA college and on went to community college and then City University. My nephews and nieces live in Queens and are doing the same.

 

Then again, here in NYC everyone we know, including back when we were in school, lives at home if they choose a local school. I know 2 girls at Columbia and they are living at home. The tuition is quite enough, even with scholarships! But everyone here thinks like a commuter, I guess. I went to High School in Manhattan and my round trip was 3 hours and that was just the way it was. It didn't stop me from being very involved.

[elegantlion]

Ds is commuting with me. It's also a no brainer as he'll have no loan debt until or if he transfers. The school did, however, put his cost of attendance as less. Mine is factored at full cost, his is significantly less. I don't know if that's because I'm a single adult or because I'm the first student in the household. 

I came across this article in the news and thought I'd post it here for the parents of rising seniors who may be thinking through commuting vs living on campus issues.  In the article it says that 20% of freshmen commute, but it's important to know that that's only out of the top 245 schools.  

 

I'm surprised that the article is talking as if there are only two choices.  Obviously, different Universities have different policies and setup, but at my big state U, the options were (at least):

 

o) Live in the school's dorms, "on campus". (but could be quite a hike to the other side of campus)

o) Live in a private dorm, technically, not "on campus", but pretty darn close, and almost as walkable to everything on campus as the school dorms.

o) Live in a co-op, again, pretty close to campus

o) Live in private housing, which could be almost as close to campus as the dorms, or far enough away that you need to drive.  With enough roommates, this could get pretty darn inexpensive.

o) Live with your parents, wherever they might be.

 

All of these present a wide range of costs and benefits, and I'm not quite sure exactly what "on-campus" means in this context.

[Teachin'Mine]

Yes there are usually more than two options.  As for me, I consider living at home and driving or taking public transport to school commuting.  To me, all the other options would not be considered commuting, but either living on-campus or in off-campus housing depend on which options.   As far as whether the first article would consider them on-campus probably depends on the proximity to campus and how easy it is to participate in after hours study groups and activities.  Many privately owned housing facilities just outside the campus could probably be considered equal to on-campus housing.  

 

Generally living on or near campus is going to cost more than commuting from home, but of course there are exceptions, such as staying with a nearby relative and commuting from there.  The article linked in my first post is really just addressing some issues which could affect a commuter student.  The second article gives pros and cons for each option.  

[shawthorne44]

My college had a room set aside for the student's use for each major.  So, if you were a Physics student, you had a key to a room in the same building as the Physics classes where other Physics would be.   Doesn't every college do this?   They were furnished with hand-me-downs either from the professors or the university.  

 

I never understood the appeal of living on campus, because I always had that home-away-from-home on campus.  But, maybe this was unique to my university.  

[Guest]

Wow, the second article had this: " In a recent survey, 85% of college seniors said they plan to move back home after graduation, according to Business Insider."

Right, but that doesn't necessarily mean they stay there. One could move home after graduating, but still be out and independant within a year.

[Tsuga]

 

 

The students that do commute are a bit of a retention risk for colleges," says Delahunt.

 

Yeah, but money is the #1 factor for dropping out for many colleges, so I wonder how that factors in? Working and commuting are what working class students do--not the rich. The rich have to literally flunk out to have to leave. Otherwise they can just skid by. There's no financial aid or scholarship penalty. Of course their parents may refuse to pay and many wealthy do that. But to associate commutes and working with retention is foolish. It's the economy, stupid.

 

That said, I think living on campus or moving away is a great experience. I am certainly glad I left home and wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm glad I lived in the dorm for 6 months to start. I think it was good for me to be integrated into the college.

 

I just think the article came off as a bit of an advertisement and is misleading.

 

 

 

My college had a room set aside for the student's use for each major.  So, if you were a Physics student, you had a key to a room in the same building as the Physics classes where other Physics would be.   Doesn't every college do this?   They were furnished with hand-me-downs either from the professors or the university.  

 

I have never heard about that but it sounds absolutely amazing. Do you mind sharing the college?

[FaithManor]

Right, but that doesn't necessarily mean they stay there. One could move home after graduating, but still be out and independant within a year.

This isn't shocking to me at all. It was normal when I was in school. Most kids had a gap between graduation and first day on the new job with some taking a few months to find that first position that allowed them to be fully, financially independent.

 

Dh had a two month gap - though his job offer came through before graduation - between diploma and 1st day. He couldn't move into his new apartment until 3 days before the job began due to waiting on the other tenants to move. So, he went home to his parents for that time. They didn't mind. It was kind of standard operating procedure for a lot of families.

 

I went home after graduation for three weeks - the gap between diploma and my wedding. So if I had taken a poll that asked where I would be living immediately following graduation I would have said my parents' home.

 

I don't know that I would be scared by that percentage. Now if this exact same group is interviewed 10 years from now and they are still living with mom and dad, then "Houston, we have a problem!" :D

[Gwen in VA]

You know, I never thought of my dd1 as "living at home after graduation", but she did!

 

She graduated, lived at home for three months, and then moved halfway across the country to attend grad school. Yup, she certainly did live at home after graduation.

 

It's funny how questions can be really misleading!

[Pawz4me]

Ehhh.

 

I lived at home after graduation while working full time at a well paying job.  27 months later I had a brand new car that I'd paid cash for and enough money to make a 33 percent down payment on my first house.  I'm pretty sure my parents thought I put that living at home time to good use. ;)

 

Thus I don't always believe that statistics about living at home post graduation necessarily mean dire things.

[Guest]

This isn't shocking to me at all. It was normal when I was in school. Most kids had a gap between graduation and first day on the new job with some taking a few months to find that first position that allowed them to be fully, financially independent.

 

Dh had a two month gap - though his job offer came through before graduation - between diploma and 1st day. He couldn't move into his new apartment until 3 days before the job began due to waiting on the other tenants to move. So, he went home to his parents for that time. They didn't mind. It was kind of standard operating procedure for a lot of families.

 

I went home after graduation for three weeks - the gap between diploma and my wedding. So if I had taken a poll that asked where I would be living immediately following graduation I would have said my parents' home.

 

I don't know that I would be scared by that percentage. Now if this exact same group is interviewed 10 years from now and they are still living with mom and dad, then "Houston, we have a problem!" :D

Yes, exactly. I felt that the statistic was misleading because as a general observation, it is common for college graduates to come back to home base for some period of time. I expect it.

[shawthorne44]

...

 

I have never heard about that but it sounds absolutely amazing. Do you mind sharing the college?

 

It was University of Texas at Arlington.  A big Engineering school.  I'd honestly thought the student rooms were standard.     It was where I'd go between classes, and it was especially nice on Friday afternoons when I didn't have anything else to do.  I'd always found someone to do stuff with.  

[Bluegoat]

Cost is an obvious factor, but the less obvious issues need to be taken into account, too. Several of my commuting students mention how difficult it is to attend tutoring and help sessions or meet with a study group, because those are often after classes are over in the evening hours, and it takes a lot of discipline to stay on campus late to avail yourself of those invaluable opportunities. I even had a studnet move into town after several failed attempts to pass foundational classes, because he pinpointed his commuting home as one major factor in his underperformance. So, the commuting student may need to be extra aware of these drawbacks and make a dedicated effort to participate, even though the drive home earlier in the afternoon seems very tempting.

 

I commuted my first year of university, and I found waiting around for a late class to be one of the more annoying problems.  Even though there were lounges, and the library, and such, having to spend hours every day waiting in them was not great - even having to use public toilets all day could make going home early seem very tempting.  For someone introverted, it can be hard even to use that time as study time because you don't feel settled in a safe place.

[Bluegoat]

I think it's whatever works out best for students and families.  Sometimes I get tired of people saying you have to live on campus in order to get the whole college experience.  While I get the benefits, I wonder if this "college experience" is more of an American concept.  In other countries I have traveled to, students seem to usually continue living at home or move in with a family member who lives close to the school.  Or, they might look for an apartment with other students.  There are no dorms, or if there are, it is very limited space only for extreme circumstances. 

 

I know American schools are set up in a way that living in a dorm for awhile can help you more quickly and easily feel like part of the community, and there are other benefits as well (evening activities, etc.). 

 

But either way can work.  I loved living in the dorms my last two years of college (went to community college and lived at home for the first two).  My kids haven't liked dorm life, and mostly figured out different living arrangements.  That worked for them and they saved a lot of money!

 

I also think that the way the place is set up can make a big difference to what that "college experience" really means.  A lot of people I know went to places where everybody was doing something different, there wasn't much real immersion in a strong community, and often the things they were studying were largely toward getting a job or career.  The place I went was a little different - almost all first year students took the same courses, and even past that there were significant numbers doing similar or related things.  The residence in particular was full of kids all working to produce essays on the same groups of books every second Monday, and those were the things that were talked about everywhere, even in the pub.  Living outside of residence really did often mean losing out on some of the actual learning.

 

I think some of what people call "the college experience" is really just learning to get along alone, and it's true that living at home can't really give that easily, and i think kids at that age are generally ready for that if it can be done.

[Bluegoat]

My college had a room set aside for the student's use for each major.  So, if you were a Physics student, you had a key to a room in the same building as the Physics classes where other Physics would be.   Doesn't every college do this?   They were furnished with hand-me-downs either from the professors or the university.  

 

I never understood the appeal of living on campus, because I always had that home-away-from-home on campus.  But, maybe this was unique to my university.  

 

I had this sort of thing available in two ways.

 

I attended a college that was part of a larger university - the college had about 900 students when I was there.  There were a few spaces for students to hang out - the pub/student lounge, a fancy room in the women's residence, and what was called the Jr Common Room which was a sort of kitchen and dining room, and the college library.  And there were other places you could find some privacy if you wanted where there was a chair or whatever.

 

THe university had something like 10,000 students, but all of the arts faculties were located in individual houses where the profs and grad students had offices, there were some classrooms, and there was usually a lounge and a kitchenette.  Mine also had a library and special computer room with macs, and even had a shower and tub - a grad student I knew secretly lived in his office one semester when he didn't have housing. 

 

The houses were a great arrangement for the departments, but they became expensive to maintain and most were bulldozed and they built a new arts building.  But the faculty were adamant they maintain a similar kind of arrangement in the building, so each department is largely self contained with a lounge and kitchenette.