Off campus living, on campus experience
Allan Lewis
Issue date: 8/26/08 Section: Opinion
Aside from getting a higher education, college is about learning how to make decisions that will help you succeed and survive the real world. This real world is nowhere near home.
When given the opportunity, freshmen will jump at the chance to take their parents' money as far away as possible, usually spending half of it on beer, oh, and books. Everybody needs books, right?
Call me crazy, but as a life-long Edwardsville guy this is where I ended up "going away" to college. Rich Uncle Pennybags was a little on the penniless side for Cougar Village this semester.
Commuting 1957 style when everyone drove to campus may seem like a St. Louis Cardinals fan witnessing a Chicago Cubs World Series; it's the end of the world as you know it. The only problem with this analogy is commuting happens.
Truthfully, commuting is what you make of it. I learned firsthand that it is actually feasible to discover the "e" without spending gratuitous amounts of money and having to place scrunchies or ties on door handles to signify certain activities.
While living in the temporary ecstasy of dorm life and spending a meal card like its Monopoly money has its perks, they are not necessities.
By getting involved on campus as a non-resident you can meet just about as many people as you would in a dorm, people you actually like as opposed to your roommate from hell.
Greek life, Campus Activities Board, Student Government and competing in Intramural sports are some examples of how you can open yourself up to your university. Student employment also offers networking benefits as a way to make a little extra income.
Commuters should back out of hiding, get out of the house, sit on their laptops while sipping Starbucks, sculpt killer abs in the Vadalabene Center and get out there. College usually only takes four years, so make the most of it or regret it later.
When given the opportunity, freshmen will jump at the chance to take their parents' money as far away as possible, usually spending half of it on beer, oh, and books. Everybody needs books, right?
Call me crazy, but as a life-long Edwardsville guy this is where I ended up "going away" to college. Rich Uncle Pennybags was a little on the penniless side for Cougar Village this semester.
Commuting 1957 style when everyone drove to campus may seem like a St. Louis Cardinals fan witnessing a Chicago Cubs World Series; it's the end of the world as you know it. The only problem with this analogy is commuting happens.
Truthfully, commuting is what you make of it. I learned firsthand that it is actually feasible to discover the "e" without spending gratuitous amounts of money and having to place scrunchies or ties on door handles to signify certain activities.
While living in the temporary ecstasy of dorm life and spending a meal card like its Monopoly money has its perks, they are not necessities.
By getting involved on campus as a non-resident you can meet just about as many people as you would in a dorm, people you actually like as opposed to your roommate from hell.
Greek life, Campus Activities Board, Student Government and competing in Intramural sports are some examples of how you can open yourself up to your university. Student employment also offers networking benefits as a way to make a little extra income.
Commuters should back out of hiding, get out of the house, sit on their laptops while sipping Starbucks, sculpt killer abs in the Vadalabene Center and get out there. College usually only takes four years, so make the most of it or regret it later.
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