By Michelle CannizzoColumnist
Because I am friends with more commuters than dormers, the question of why they choose to live at home rather than on campus is a debate that occurs on a regular basis.
On campus there is easy access to academic and dining halls and the freedom of being able to do as you please without telling your parents of your intentions. With so many benefits to living on campus, it is hard to wrap your head around the notion of why students would choose to live anywhere else.
There are multiple reasons as to why a student attending Hofstra would want to live on campus. For example, classes and social opportunities are within walking distance, and there are built-in bonds ready to be formed with the other students in your building.
By living on campus, you are always a few-minute walk away from all of your academic needs: the computers, printers and scanners of Hammer Lab, the silent accommodation of Axinn Library and most importantly, your classes.
Students who decide to live on campus are less likely to show up late to class, because they are getting rid of the time-consuming obstacles that would get in their way as commuters: driving through traffic, finding parking and mustering up the will to leave their nice and cozy homes.
In addition to not being late to class – unless your body decides to ignore your alarm clock in the morning – living in the residence halls also offers convenience when participating in extra-curricular activities on campus. Though most clubs and organizations have established meeting times, some others do not have that luxury.
Certain groups are subject to impromptu meetings and last-minute schedule changes due to meeting space availability. These sudden adjustments can be inconvenient for commuting students, because they may travel home, thinking that the meeting or practice was at another date or time, and then must make their way back to campus.
That may seem like an easy task for a commuter who has a car, but it is an almost undoable task for a commuter who must rely on other transportation: train, bus, subway or the classic, beg-one-of-your-friends-to-give-you-a-lift.
Campus residency is also a vital tool in the process of making new friends. Though we meet new people in class each semester, it is difficult to develop a bond with a person who you see for only three hours a week.
In my case, I would not have the strong friendship that I have with my roommate if I were a commuter. Students who live in the residence halls have the opportunity to bond with other students with dorm hall parties, late-night study sessions and hot chocolate runs to Dutch Treats.
Choosing to dorm rather than live at home during the college years can help Hofstra students in a number of ways, from saving time to making new friends.
Besides, what better way to enjoy college than to feast on late-night wings on Wednesday at Social, stay up all night studying in the lounge with friends and make cupcakes at 3 a.m. just because you feel like it?