<p>One of my friends went to school twenty minutes from his house, yet lived in the dorms. Freshman year he went home every weekend, and while he liked certain aspects of it, such as free laundry and home cooked meals, he hated how controlling his parents were of him. He’s said that he doesn’t have the traditional college experience, but that’s also a function of the school having a high population of suitcase and commuter students. </p>
<p>Sophomore year he managed to convince his parents to let him stay on campus by claiming he was super busy studying, and that he didn’t have time to go home. They used to require that he call them every day, but midway through freshman year, he started spacing his calls to once every two days, then once every three days, until he settled on calling once a week. He usually goes home twice a month for a day or so, then drives back to campus. </p>
<p>That’s just the experience of my friend. My friend’s brother is also a suitcase student at the same school, and loves his college experience, so it definitely varies from person to person.</p>