Nicole Furman, junior, went through a lot of changes from her freshman year to her sophomore year at Rowan University. In her freshman year of college, she was a nursing major in the Rowan Choice program and lived on campus in Mimosa Hall with two roommates who she became friends with.
While everyone was selecting which dorms they were going live in the following year, Nicole decided that her best option was to commute to Rowan and save money her sophomore year since she lived about a half hour away in Haddonfield, NJ (Camden County.)
She was extremely nervous about this big change in her life saying, “When I imagined college, I thought I would spend all my years with the full experience. I was nervous about being alone, driving a lot, and not having a place close to my classes. One of my biggest fears was being a burden if I wanted to stay on campus with friends – all of which turned out to be no fear at all once I started commuting. It barely seemed like I didn’t live on campus, I had amazing friends and a wonderful year.”
Nicole was practically starting fresh with commuting, transferring out of the Rowan Choice program, and switching her major to elementary education with a German studies minor. Being afraid she was going to miss out on the college experience, she realized how important it was to be involved on campus. Nicole made the most of her friends while commuting after joining clubs and a sorority.
Most people did not even know she commuted because of how present she was on campus. Nicole would always have friends to eat with, go to the library with, or hang out with to pass time between or after classes. What was once her biggest fear, no longer meant anything because of all the strong friendships she made that year.
Although Nicole still lived with her parents at home, she was thankful that they gave her space and treated her like an adult. They gave her the responsibility to balance her time between school and a social life.
Life as a commuter isn’t all bad after all! Commuting saves a lot of money and can cut the price of college in half, while still getting to live the life of a college kid. The biggest difference of living in dorms and commuting for Nicole was not having a place to call her own on campus and having to drive to go home while others just walk back to theirs. As long as you get involved in organizations, clubs, or sports you will never feel like you are alone. Nicole couldn’t be happier anywhere other than Rowan University to keep her feeling welcomed every day!
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Story by: Molly Purcell, senior
Double major public relations and advertising