Living on Campus

At first I did not think I was going to live on campus as I live less than an hour away. I figured I would just commute as I commuted for the community college and it was fine living at home. I am really glad I chose to live on campus, but I am still surprised by the amount of transfer students who tell me they aren’t sure they want to live on campus. I think there are a lot of benefits to living on, or near campus that many people do not see.

William & Mary truly is a community and you make connections to so many people by being an active member in the community. Living on campus gives you a chance to be involved with others in a way that commuting does not. When I commuted my only concern was going to class and getting on the road before traffic became horrendous. I did not go to the lectures or fun events that TCC held because I was not close enough to go down there. I also did not make connections to my classmates as I was only there a few times a week and did not live close enough to go out with them often. Living on the W&M campus gives me the chance to be more involved such as volunteering on the weekends on campus. There is also always things happening on the campus from Screen on the Green where there is a giant blowup screen on the Sunken Garden and they play two recent movies, to comedy shows, to some sort of event with food. I find myself making new great memories every weekend. Living on campus gives me the chance to be involved in a community, and it has made W&M feel more like home to me every semester.

There are the usual aspects of living on a college campus like being near the dining halls, or the Rec Center. That stuff is true and it is nice to be able to walk to the gym and get dinner afterwards before walking back to your dorm. In my opinion there are a lot of other benefits to living on campus because of the memories you can make. I know a lot of people have concerns about living on campus and staying in a dorm but I think those fears are not as applicable to W&M. One common concern people have is about the noise and not being able to study. Now the halls are not always quiet and I still remember someone practicing the trumpet at 10 pm but the fun I had outweighed that. And people stuck to the quiet hours that we established as a hall and respected each other’s need for quiet. It is the sense of community that drew me into William & Mary, and I got every aspect of community I expected and more.

-Rebecca Hill ’17