Your college years are quite an exciting time! However, there are several decisions to make before starting college. One of the biggest decision to make concerns your living situation.

Whether you are an incoming college student attempting to make a decision, or a current student looking to make a change, your questions should end here.

Believe it or not, living on campus rather than being a commuter student has a lot more benefits than you might think!

Students that live on campus tend to be more successful at adjusting to college and thriving during their college years because of how convenient living on campus is.

Everything is right at your fingertips. Class starts in 20 minutes and you just woke up? No worries, it is just a quick walk from your dorm! You have a shift for your on-campus job after? No problem, another quick walk.

Want to study right after work? The library’s right there. Living on campus is like living in a little town, where everything is within your reach.

You do not have to worry about using gas to get around for class, work or other campus activities.

Most times, you do not even have to worry about taking public transit to get the things you need, everything is there for you on campus!

Commuter students can easily fall into the habit of coming to campus for the sole purpose of going to class.

By doing this, they are probably not interacting with others as much, and not making many friends, which can make them feel isolated from their peers.

The sense of community you find is so special, when you live on campus.

Everyone is in the same boat as you, and chances are that they are feeling the same things you are.

It can be a little tough for everyone; you are in a new environment away from all your friends and loved ones, and you have to learn to adjust.

However, one of the best ways to adjust is by making new friends who make you feel more at home. It is like creating a college family. Living on campus, it is a lot easier to make new friends, and you make those connections with people simply because you can all relate to each other by being away from home.

As a current freshman at St. John’s, every single friend I have made so far has been through dorming.

My roommates and I have grown very close in the short time we have been here, and we’ve all made several friends by doing simple things like hanging out in the lounges in our residence hall, doing laundry in the basement and having lunch on campus.

In the dorms, there are always friends to be made when you least expect it. While there are of course cons to living in the dorms, such as the cost, and pros to commuting such as staying close to family and saving thousands of dollars, all that matters is whatever makes you happy.

Just remember it is important to make the most out of college, and to do your best to make your college experience as great as you can.

Nothing can ever be completely perfect, but by working hard enough, you may make your four years pretty close to it.