As someone who lives with their parents 25 minutes from downtown already, I saw no

advantage of living in a dorm or apartment for at least my first year. There are a couple reasons

for that, but the main reason is because of money. By attending IUPUI, I am already saving a

good amount of money where I wouldn’t have if I chose to attend IU Bloomington or another big

university in Indiana. Getting an apartment would have most likely been even more expensive

than living in a dorm so that was immediately out the window. Not only was money a factor, but

also the environment of a dorm. I like having my own space where I feel comfortable and where

I can be alone if I need to be. If I had chosen to stay on campus, I would have been forced to

share my space with another person that I didn’t know before coming here. Some people can do

that and are okay with that, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do that. In addition, the idea of

living with hundreds of other freshmen in one building for an entire year wasn’t the most

appealing option. As far as what I like and don't like about commuting there isn’t a whole lot I

don’t like. I love that I can live somewhere, like where my house is, that isn’t the city.

Indianapolis feels unsafe to me because I’ve lived here my whole life and I know how scary it

can be. I like that I get to live in my parent’s house and save money by doing that. As far as what

I don’t like, it is a little tough to make friends and find a group of people I can get along with. I

have had the same friends my entire life, so making new friends at this age is a little difficult for

me. I’ve never really been the shy type, but in college I have become very reserved. To feel a

little more connected to campus, I have thought about joining a couple clubs and possibly a

sorority next year. I also want to get out of my comfort zone and talk to people in my classes. In

my spare time on campus, I have found myself working on homework as I have an online speech

class that involves lots of time. I have also used that time to have a brain break from all of my

classes by talking to my friends on the phone, grabbing a healthy lunch, or looking for ways to
use my time in a productive way. Recently, I have gravitated towards the library because there is

a quiet floor. My house isn’t the most quiet all the time, so sometimes it’s easier to just do my

homework on campus instead of at home. Overall I have learned to love commuting, but next

year I will be moving a little closer so that I don’t have to drive as far every day.