What makes a commuter school

srcameron
Tue, 25 Jul 2006 12:10:13 +0000

A commuter school is not the same as a suitcase school. Having attended a commuter school (I remember the school stating that like, 70% of students lived off campus or something ridiculous) as a commuter, I would strongly reccomend against this type of atmosphere for most students (I’m transferring). This is a great option for nontraditional students - people going back to school to get a degree, or individuals who really don’t care about the social aspect of college life that are more career oriented, but for the rest of us, it kind of sucked in terms of meeting people on campus/making friends, especially because it took me so long to get to school (1.5 hrs driving time) that I never wanted to go through the trouble of hanging out with people I did meet.

Most of the people I have talked to that feel they attend a “suitcase school” base that off of the percentage of students not present on the weekend. What people fail to mention in my opinion, however, is how many schools could fit this description without really having a significant negative impact on social life. Schools in major cities, for example, might fit this description, but more often than not it’s because everyone is off campus going to parties at other schools/enjoying the city atmosphere. I think whether or not it’s a drawback really depends on why students aren’t around.