Commuting: Is it the Right Fit? (for teens)

You Don’t Have to be Disconnected from the Campus Experience

Many schools offer special programs for commuter students to get them involved in campus life. From assigned lockers to special meetings and activities to special on-campus housing for late nights, there are many options out there. Some schools even offer commuter student mentoring programs where you’re paired with an upperclassman commuter student or another freshman who lives in the residence halls. Check with the colleges and universities you’re interested in to make sure they have resources for commuter students before you decide where to attend.

Some general guidelines for how to commute, for whichever school you choose, include:

• Study on campus—after classes and on weekends
• Organize regular study groups
• Include time to meet with your professors in your everyday schedule
• Work on-campus (If possible, ditch your current job or cut back on hours to work on-campus. The immersion into campus life is worth the change and will help you feel like you’re starting a new phase of your life.)
• Get involved in a student club
• Join an intramural sport team
• Participate in student government
• Take public transportation or carpool so that you have more time to study
• Eat in the dining halls
• Make an effort to meet new people from different backgrounds, even if some of your high school friends are going to your college
• Make friends who live in residence halls.

Living at Home Will be Different

Even though you’ll be staying at home, there are some big changes that come with being a college student.

School will be your full-time job. Your family and friends might not understand how much of your time school (especially combined with a part-time job) will take. They might think that since you’re still living at home things will be the same as when you were in high school, but you’ll have to prepare them—explaining you’re entering a new stage of your life.

“Consider your home only as the place you pack your meals and sleep,” said Regan Ronayne Caven, consultant at Directions to College. “Learn that it’s okay to say ‘no’ to family and friends. Explain to them that college requires a huge investment of money, time and energy, and that you need their support to succeed—that means they might need to change their expectations of you.”

To help your family and friends adjust to your new life as a college student, you can remind them that you’ll have more time to spend with them during school breaks.

Another critical point to discuss with your family is how rules will—or won’t—change once you’re a college student.

“When teenagers move onto a college campus, most moms and dads relinquish whatever control they used to maintain over daily comings and goings. But for kids still bunking in their childhood bedrooms, parents often expect the same regular reports that they got in high school,” said Sally Rubenstone, senior counselor and editor at College Confidential.

If you agree on expectations—curfews; notice on where you’re going, who you’re going with and when you’ll be back; household responsibilities; family obligations; finances; and other changes—ahead of time, you’ll be able to concentrate on school and succeed in your transition to college.

Don’t forget, living at home has benefits too: no residence hall distractions, more privacy, home-cooked meals, and the support of people who care about you.

For more tips on how to make the most of commuting, talk to your school counselor. Also, check out the eCampus Tours Web site.