By Abby Rathburn | Staff Writer
When the last class ends, Baylor’s campus remains full. Whether students rush off to Moody Library to study or grab a bite at Penland Late-Night, there is always somewhere to go or something to do. But for commuter students, every opportunity to stay comes with another consideration: the drive home.
Ranked No.9 nationally for first-year experiences by U.S. News and World Report, Baylor offers its students a wide range of traditions and activities to encourage campus involvement. For commuter students, however, joining that campus culture may require more intentional effort.
According to the Campus Living & Learning Housing Contract, all first-year students must live on campus. However, Baylor allows for certain exceptions, including those 21+ entering their freshman year, those who are married or have a dependent child and anyone who has established residency within McLennan County.
These exceptions allow students like Georgetown junior Ryan Jett to choose an off-campus living situation that better fits their needs and preferences.
“I was an only child growing up, so I never really lived with anyone else before,” Jett said. “I was given the option to live on campus in one of the newer dorms, but I wanted to live by myself just to keep having that kind of freedom.”
The benefits of commuting don’t stop at independence. Waco sophomore Everett Proctor said that living at home has been a financial benefit for him and his family.
“I save a lot of money on housing, and I saved some money on food by grocery shopping instead of doing a meal plan,” Proctor said.
But the financial savings and independence of living off campus can come at the expense of time spent with friends.
Jett said his freshman year he struggled with whether to stay on campus and make a late-night drive home, or make the trip back to campus for an event after he had already left for the day.
“Fall semester for the first couple months, I got in the same routine of waking up, going to class, doing homework during my break and then going straight home rather than staying,” Jett said. “That became a rut that I fell into, but once I broke that, it got better.”
Even though it was difficult at first, breaking that cycle began with a simple decision: staying out later one night.
“We were all gonna go to Buc-ee’s and part of me wanted to go, but part of me was like, ‘No, because it’s late,'” Jett said. “I ended up going, and I think after I went to that, I started hanging out with people a lot more, and so that helped me break that cycle.”
Since then, Jett has continued to grow in his friendships by finding community in student organizations, such as Baylor Mock Trial and Cru.
Colorado Springs junior Hope Rooney also knows how difficult it can be to find community while commuting. Before transferring to Baylor, she attended the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, where she said living at home made it difficult to connect with other students.
“It was a smaller school, and I didn’t really feel like there was a whole lot of school spirit or community,” Rooney said. “It was really hard to meet people, especially since I was commuting from home.”
After deciding to transfer to Baylor, Rooney has found ways to build friendships through involvement in choir and Sing Alliance.
“I still have made so many amazing friends even being off campus,” Rooney said. “I’ve hosted 70s-themed parties, and I’m about to host a Halloween party.”
Although commuting to campus every day requires more effort than on-campus living, the three students have found ways to make the drive worthwhile.
“We go to that bottom classroom or one of the study rooms in Alexander, and we do schoolwork while watching Saturday college football,” Proctor said. “It makes it so I am up there at least once a week to hang out with my friends.”
