I’m in grade 11 now, but I really need to start thinking about college because in only a few months I’ll be applying and all that. I do have a school in mind- it’s about 20 minutes away by driving, an hour by bus- and I’m seriously considering commuting. I have a lot of anxiety and am prone to periods of depression, and I’m worried living in a dorm would make those feelings flare up- I have trouble with change and talking to people. On top of that I’m not a big ‘partier’ (I’d rather just listen to music and watch netflix by myself, honestly), and I’m fine with long drives. There’s also my fear of ending up with a homophobic or devoutly religious roommate (I’m bi and also have neopagan beliefs so). I’d have to take the bus of course, as I don’t have my licence. On the other hand, I don’t want to regret anything. So, here’s what I’m basically trying to say: what’s it like commuting? How important is the college experience and would I be missing out significantly?
Is this college a primarily residential college or are there a lot of commuters?
If you do commute don’t jump on the bus as soon as your last class is over. Spend time on campus and get involved in campus activities with students who live on campus.
Apparently it is a majorly commuter campus, though they do have residences! I’ve read reviews and apparently res life is very quiet.
Then again, I don’t really know if that’s true because the reviews could be biased.
Do you mind saying what area you’re from/ university you’re going to? It may alter my advice. But if you do (which is fine), generally I would say it’s a bad idea. Ultimately you don’t have to be best friends with your roommate, you just need to coexist. And if you have classes that have hours in between them, it can be hard to find something to do. Especially considering res life is quiet, it seems like it wouldn’t be a party school or too rowdy. So I would recommend living on campus.
Uoft Scarborough (near Toronto)! And yea, I definitely see that point, but the idea of dorm-life still stresses me out a bit.
If you don’t feel like you’re ready to live in a dorm then don’t push yourself. The most important thing is your mental health and you don’t want to overload yourself. You can always dorm after freshman year when you feel more comfortable with the college 
A lot of my friends commuted and they didn’t have a problem! Maybe try it out and see how it goes for the first year? you can always dorm afterwards. You might have to plan things in advanced but that shouldn’t be a problem. Maybe plan to leave two hours before your first class? That way you can avoid public transit stress
Get in touch with the school’s LGBTQ organization. They will have insights into the social climate and housing options on campus.
You probably don’t have to commit to housing till next spring or summer anyway. It shouldn’t effect your application one way or another.
U of T guarantees residence for first year only. It’s very difficult to get a residence space after that. The application deadline is March 31 for incoming freshman.
UTSC is very much a commuter campus. If you are fine with commuting, it’s a good option. If you want to live in residence, I would choose UTSG or a different university.
The upside to dorm living is that it’s the best way to ensure that you make lots of friends. The downside to dorm living is that you’re stuck living with a stranger. If a lot of other people commute, I’d commute…and I always lived on campus during all of my university time. Having a roommate who’s matched with you and is basically a stranger just stinks.
You didn’t mention anything about finances, but assuming they’re not an issue, why don’t you try living on campus, at least for the first semester? If you absolutely hate it, you could always live at home and commute (and at least you’d have a place to go between classes), and you could officially start commuting in the spring.
I was a commuter student my first year of college. I attended one of several local high schools whose graduates were often day students at the college. When I enrolled, I had an immediate friendship group and graduates of other local high schools to meet. It was great for me because I was seriously quiet and shy, but always included in high school. Then some friends attended the college. My transition to college was not jarring or scary. There were enough of us that we knew what was going on at school and had meeting areas where we commuters met to discuss, support, laugh and gossip. In many ways, I found very similar social and academic opportunities as a dorm student and computer.
Day students were assets to other students because we knew the city and all its opportunities to explore and enjoy and introduced other students to the things they would enjoy. As a computer student, I stayed on campus near or in the snack bar to study and socialize or went to the library if necessary for mega quiet. I felt like I totally belonged at the school; but didn’t have the restrictions of other students who lived in the residence halls. We were also included in everything at school so that we never felt like second-class students. There are some benefits to being a resident student, but not so much that I wouldn’t have been happy to remain a computer student. It was perfect for .me.
Oh. About a 45 minute drive or 60 minutes on a city bus.
I am personally commuting to save $10,000 a year (although I am only like 10 min away from my university by car). I think commuting is okay as long as it doesn’t take you more than 30 min or so to get to college, otherwise, it will make you tired and you will lose a lot of time going back and forth. And yes, do not leave right away after your classes are done. Make sure to stay afterwards around so you get to socialize and have fun. Commuting really isn’t that bad if you have the initiative to want to be social. Otherwise, you will end up feeling lonely. So if you are commuting just be sure to be open for new things so it doesn’t get dull
If you are considering not dorming because of anxiety, you should get evaluated for anxiety by a physician and if they prescribe medication consider taking it…anxiety is interfering with your life.
If you are comfortable living with your parents, and it isn’t a big res life school anyway, then I say save the money and aggravation and live at home. BUT, I also think you should push yourself to get involved on the campus somehow. Join a couple of clubs or activities. Maybe get involved with the student newspaper or theater group (they always need people to help with sets, props, etc even if you don’t want to be on stage), or if there is a group that volunteers in the community you could join. I do agree that discussing this with a physician is a really, really good idea, too, apart from the dorming question.
Fwiw, I lived on campus for a while and commuted for longer. My commute was between 45-60 mins depending on traffic and construction, and I too had certain anxiety issues going on at the time.
Honestly, commuting made me feel so much better about everything. I’m introverted and I need to have my space, so commuting allowed me to go home and have my space after the day was done. I hung out with my friends all the time, but the only kicker was when they wanted to hang out at night and I had to wait around on campus until then. Sometimes I just wouldn’t do it if i had to wait more than four hours, and I regret that frustration.
In general, though, commuting wasn’t a big issue for me (and my school was a commuter school like yours). Like the others said, maybe you can try it at some point (not necessarily right away), but do whatever makes you feel comfortable. With anxiety, you need to learn how to face your fears, but you don’t want to rush into things.
Good luck!
I’m a commuter at an engineering college in MA. I have a ton of friends, I’m in a sorority, a few social clubs, a professional society, I do on campus volunteering and work study. It’s possible but spend as much time on campus as you can! It’s worth it for the freedom and savings.
I am a commuter and save 15k a year -every year, my annual tuition bill reads 10k (because of scholarships and all that). Commuting is not bad at all, though you do need to take some steps to integrate into the campus system. Don’t leave campus as soon as your classes are done, hang around in the library, form study groups, go to office hours, join clubs, do campus activities, etc. Find friends who are both residents and non-residents and actually try to form long-lasting relationships. One of my closest friends this year was a resident who would let me go to her dorm to study, hang out, and best of all, NAP! I also got a job on campus which definitely helped a lot.