The college years are usually associated with lifelong friendships, growing up, and developing a feeling of belonging. At the same time, college life varies greatly depending on each individual’s circumstances and environment. One of the key factors that influence the experience of students at Monmouth University is whether they are living on campus or are commuter students. While resident students benefit from being close to their classrooms and friends and participating in all kinds of extracurricular activities without wasting time on getting somewhere, commuters might have a much tighter agenda, which consists not only of going to the classes but also of performing other tasks.
This week, the members of the editorial team reflected upon how living arrangements affect their college life and whether Monmouth University gives equal chances to the students who live either on or off campus.
Mostly, it is believed that living on campus enables one to get acquainted easily and participate actively in college life. For example, one of our residential editors describes the advantages of living near the university in the dorm because this makes it easier to go to the library, see your friends and do all the stuff in the campus. Living in dorms provides similar benefits to the second residential editor, as it helps to communicate with people whom she would not probably ever meet if not living in the dorms. It becomes possible just thanks to common spaces in dorms.
However, it seems that the same possibilities might not be provided to the commuter students. “I think opportunities are open to all students, commuter or residential, but they might not always have equal access,” one editor explained. While there are lots of clubs, organizations, and campus activities available for students, participating in them is difficult for those who travel to campus every day.
For example, the fact that some events can start late means spending more time in college for the ones who have to travel again. One of the residential editors is frustrated with the parking situation, especially when it comes to students who need to travel a lot. “Fix the parking situation!” the editor suggested when asked what Monmouth could do to make campus life more inclusive.
Apart from travelling, some editors mentioned that one more difficulty in the way of commuters consists in making friendships. While it is easy for residential students to go in the dorm and hang around in the room with their friends, commuters are unable to enjoy the same opportunity as they are not living in the dorms. It becomes difficult especially if there is no place to sit and wait for something while being on campus for any events.
However, not all editors think that commuters have more difficulties in making friends while studying at Monmouth. “I don’t think it’s harder for commuters to make friends,” one commuter editor said, emphasizing that students must also be willing to put themselves out there and meet new people. The editor shared that commuting has not negatively affected their college experience and that students can still find meaningful opportunities to connect with others regardless of where they live.
This difference in perspectives raises an interesting question: Is it fair if commuters have to spend more effort to feel themselves a part of the campus community, while residential students have all the advantages in making their studies easy and friendly?
It may seem like a little problem but there are many small things which make a difference for commuters. Our editors offered a couple of ways to help Monmouth make campus community friendlier for both resident and commuter students. “I think a lot of the more socially focused events occur at night, so one way to make commuters feel more included would be to hold those events during the day time,” the editor explained. They believe that holding events in Asbury Park and Pier Village would also give more opportunities to get together.
Another change involves increasing the number of blocks for organizing club meetings. There are lots of students who attend clubs and meet during Wednesdays and it can make it difficult for commuter students as they cannot spend all day on campus. “Adding another block may make it easier for commuter students to make it to events,” one editor suggested.
Overall, our editors believe that Monmouth offers a great opportunity to join the community and become active within campus, although it may be difficult for some students to access it equally. Commuting or living in dorms should not be a decisive factor whether you will get connected to your college or not. Being at college is not just attending lectures and courses, it is making friends and enjoying your experience during years of study.
