1. #1

    commuting to college.... share your experiences

    So I just finished my 1st semester of college I go to a school about 25 minutes from my house and have been living in a dorm on campus. However throughout the year my depression(long history of this, thought I had it under control but it rears its ugly head once again) has worsened greatly, to the point i am considering terminating my housing contract and just living at home and driving there. Who has done this and how has it worked out for you? I worry that it will just turn me into a loner with no friends.... but it also seems like it could be a great idea, commuters what has your experience been? I find living in a dorm room causes one to slowly go insane.... since i moved here my temper and fuse have shortened greatly, I used to be very placid and passive but at the moment I feel like a psychopath. I feel like commuting could possibly be just the solution i need.... but lets hear what you guys think.

    To put things in perspective the other night I got sort of drunk and that was .... a mistake. It took all my underlying depression and frustration and made it latent, I have never been an angry drunk before this year, wehre every single time I get in a fight, break something, or hurt someone (scary thing is none of my friends are physically capable of stopping me, I could seriously hurt or kill them). I dunno but something about this experience tells me I just am not emotionally ready to live alone in a claustrophobic room, am i some kind of freak/mama's boy?

  2. #2
    Lol who dorms at college if they live 30- minutes away? That's just a waste of money.

    I live around a 15 minute drive from my school. Years 1-2 I didn't drive, I just got dropped off and picked up when possible and took the bus otherwise. It was kind of a hassle but it was still fun. Now'a days I just drive since my schedule is kind of annoying + I randomly have to go in to do research.

    You could always visit your friends who dorm (I never did). Usually I just meet up with my friends if we have a common break (they also commute though lol).

    Actually I'm not the type of guy who'd like to dorm unless I was living alone. I like the luxury of my own house, my own fridge and bathroom and living room and exercise room and I can do whatever I want. That's just me though.

  3. #3
    Banned Jayburner's Avatar
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  4. #4
    I live 25 or so mins away and take a bus, annoying as hell after a while but I dont really have any other option since Australia isnt big on the whole dorms thing, everyone lives with their parents until uni/college finishes usually.

  5. #5
    Merely a Setback PACOX's Avatar
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    You couldn't pay me enough to live in a dorm again.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by matnisi View Post
    I have never been an angry drunk before this year, wehre every single time I get in a fight, break something, or hurt someone (scary thing is none of my friends are physically capable of stopping me, I could seriously hurt or kill them).
    Why are you still drinking if you're aware of this? Time to grow up and take personal responsibility.

  7. #7
    The Lightbringer
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    My universality is a 40 min drive away and I just drive there if needed since I take all my classes online but I hate the fact that I still have to pay for parking tuition even though i don't drive there, but when I do I can never find a spot and have to park at a mall nearby!

  8. #8
    Personally, I think this is a good thing. Your learning more about yourself and what makes you tick. You may want to see a doctor about the depression though.

    My first two years at University and my first year at college were all at dorms. My first year at university was awesome and we had a great bunch of guys on my floor that got along. The second were okay not great but not bad either. The first year at college was the worst as we had a bad group of guys. The RA quit because it was so bad and many of them guys got booted out. I can't remember the stats but by the end out of 30 or so rooms only 10 to 15 made it through the full year.

    The last couple of years I rented a basement bedroom from a cranky old SOB. My roommate was awesome as we got along and so many fond gaming moments. I was so close to school I just walked it everyday. I still made friends from the classes. My point is if you are able to make friends in class it can be done. Besides, even if you don't meet a single person in 2 to 3 years which goes by quick and you will move on. Hopefully wherever you end up you will make more friends.

  9. #9
    The Unstoppable Force DeltrusDisc's Avatar
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    I drive to college.

    Granted it's community college.

    But one day I was driving in and was behind the Google Maps car throughout the drive around the parking lot street.

    But really, driving in to school won't make you a loner, unless you let it. I have a bad history with depression as well, but you have to deal with things as they come. If you have friends, they'll want to see you, dorm or not.
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    I can sympathize. I dealt with depression going to college and at times it was brutal. Biggest mistake I made was drinking to cope with it. Yes, it did help me socialize, but I would often drink to the point of blacking out and do stupid and dangerous stuff, especially since I really did not care if I lived or died. Scary times. Lucky I survived. If you know that you will flip out when you get drunk, try to avoid it. First step like all problems is identifying it. Alcohol and depression is an extremely dangerous mix. It took me getting into a fight with my best friend before I really started to cut back. Also ruined a ton of potential relationships.

    In my experience driving to class is hell. Traffic is horrific and parking is a nightmare. I did not go to class many times simply because I did not want to deal with the commute. When you already have no desire to leave the bed, that is the last thing you need.

    Drive to school if it is an easy commute and you are comfortable at home. Dorms are by no means an integral part of the college experience, although they help. Try to schedule classes so that you only have to drive to and from campus once. Stay on campus between classes and study. You will be surprised by how much socializing you end up doing as well.
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  11. #11
    Old God Grizzly Willy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DeltrusDisc View Post
    I drive to college.

    Granted it's community college.

    But one day I was driving in and was behind the Google Maps car throughout the drive around the parking lot street.

    But really, driving in to school won't make you a loner, unless you let it. I have a bad history with depression as well, but you have to deal with things as they come. If you have friends, they'll want to see you, dorm or not.
    I have to echo this. My first year in college I was a bit of a loner, and I commute. Second year, after I transferred to a different school that didn't cost 30 grand a year, I was still commuting, but pushed myself to be more social. Now I'm the president of the philosophy club, a copy editor for the campus paper, wrapped up an internship last semester and starting a new one this semester, and am going to be volunteering at the place I interned at. Driving to school and not living in a dorm doesn't mean you have to be cut off from what's happening on campus.

  12. #12
    I won't be staying in a dorm again unless I find someone with some hygiene to share a bathroom with. The guy I share a bathroom has no fucking hygiene whatsoever, he pisses on the seat of the toilet, he doesn't know how to change out a roll of toilet paper, he leaves toilet paper on the back of the water reservoir, he doesn't wash his toothpaste down the drain in the sink, and he doesn't wash his hair down the drain in the shower. I also bought a shower mat, and every time I go in there to take a shower it has like pieces of grass on it. Not to mention the mirror is dirtier than the floor. There's almost no point in cleaning the bathroom though as the moment he steps in there again it will be dirty all over again.
    Last edited by muto; 2013-01-29 at 10:02 PM.

  13. #13
    Merely a Setback Reeve's Avatar
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    I lived in the dorms my first year and a half, then commuted from an apartment across the valley for the rest of my time at University. It worked out well for me, since I had a great group of friends outside of school, but I only ever made one friend while at University and I met him while living in the dorms. But my school was a 99% commuter school, and had no campus life anyway.
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  14. #14
    The Lightbringer Shakadam's Avatar
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    College is the same thing as University right? Anyways I either walk (takes 20-30 mins depending on where I'm going, the uni's buildings are a bit spread out) or take the bus if I'm lazy or if it's raining. Bus stops 50m from my apartment every 15 mins.

  15. #15
    The Lightbringer Uennie's Avatar
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    Oh honey that's not a serious commute, I used to live an hour away. You'll be fine if you decide to do it.

  16. #16
    My experience? I have a 20 minute drive there, 20 minute drive back.

    Only issues are roadworks and slow drivers ahead of me such as lorries, buses, women drivers and elderly drivers.

    Would choose it a thousand times over university/dorm accommodation; namely due to the fact that I value my privacy far too much and care for other people much too little. Wouldn't have it any other way.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Shakadam View Post
    College is the same thing as University right? Anyways I either walk (takes 20-30 mins depending on where I'm going, the uni's buildings are a bit spread out) or take the bus if I'm lazy or if it's raining. Bus stops 50m from my apartment every 15 mins.
    A University is a collection of Colleges.

    So yeah basically.

  18. #18
    Went to a university....Nothing special happened, maybe because in university you are there to learn? I did not expect anything else really...

  19. #19
    If you live so close... why not just live at home? o.O

    Save the money.

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