When people picture university life, they often imagine parties, football games, and meals in campus food courts. Many people assume the “university experience” flourishes because students live in residence and build a campus community. But not all students live in residence, so does the “university experience” really depend on a tight-knit campus community? At Laurier Brantford, about 63% of incoming first-year students live off campus, either at home or in rentals. In fact, Laurier Brantford has always had a high rate of off-campus students, so we decided to speak to some of them and get their opinions.
Second-year Psychology student Hannah Waterfall commutes about 30 minutes from her hometown. When asked about the benefits and factors that influenced her decision to stay at home, Waterfall mentioned two comforts: saving money and sleeping in her own bed. Living at home gave her that sense of familiarity and comfort that one might need when transitioning to a new, and sometimes scary, chapter of one’s life. However, commuting does come with its own set of challenges. Sadly, daily travel and traffic can make commuting challenging.
Commuter students may also worry about feeling disconnected from campus life and the “university experience”. Waterfall described the “university experience” as parties, football games, and all that fun stuff, but said commuting never made her feel she was missing out. Laurier Brantford’s small, close-knit campus may have helped; at a larger university, she might have felt she was missing out.
Waterfall stated that Laurier Brantford’s events make it easy to get involved and feel a sense of belonging. She praised the Laurier Off Campus University Students (LOCUS) organization that helps off-campus students feel involved. Unlike her friend who lives on campus, she doesn’t feel she misses out on Laurier’s offerings as a commuter.
Safe to say, the typical “university experience” means different things to different people and varies depending on the school and the students. What one student might see as the typical experience can be vastly different from another student’s perspective. For example, for my first year at Laurier Brantford, I lived in residence and can attest to the wide range of activities Laurier Brantford always has to offer.
Coming to Laurier and starting a new chapter in life was very scary for me, but it always felt like there was so much to do and so much support here. So, while I do think Laurier Brantford’s smaller campus makes the “typical university experience” a little different, I would still say that a strong campus life exists here.
Ultimately, being a commuter student does not mean missing out on the university experience, and the term itself varies in range and can mean numerous different things to different people. This life-changing experience is not determined by where you live, but by how you choose to interact and involve yourself!
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