What It's Like To Go To College In Your Hometown

I have been living on campus for exactly 50 days now.

It's hard for me to determine whether or not the days have flown by because it feels like I've been here forever. I can't say that 50 days after move-in I'm all settled in, or that I'm finally getting used to things─because in all honesty, I felt right at home from the start.

Now I know what you're thinking─Jamie, you are home. Your house is five blocks away from campus. Yes, that is true. But it doesn't feel like that. I mean, at times it does, but in my day-to-day activities I never once consider that fact that I'm still in Orange City. I'm at Northwestern─I'm at college. This reality isn't lessened by the fact that I'm only five blocks away from my parents.

So for those of you who wonder what it's really like to go to college in your hometown, I'm here to give you an idea. 

But this is just my story. It's one of many, many, many stories of students who chose to study close to home.


My story's a little different than most because─well─I don't mean to brag or anything, but I've got myself some connections. Okay─my mom works on campus. (In fact, her office door is within fifty feet from three of my four classes.) Originally, I didn't know if I wanted to make that little known fact about me public knowledge, but the choice was quickly made for me. 

After arriving on campus I realized that it really wasn't a "little known fact". People who knew my mom already knew who I was because she talks about me in class on the rare occasion all the time. But hey─I can't blame her. If my daughter was just as talented, educated, and successful, I would talk about her all the time too. (Sarcasm people. Please note the sarcasm. What can I say, it's a gift.)

As for the ones who didn't previously know my mom, they soon made the connection. They either took observation of the last name, saw my picture in her office, or I just upfront told them that we were related.

So people know my little secret. (Okay, not much of a secret. My mother knows I love her. I will publicly claim her as my own.) But that's okay─because there are little known perks to this situation as well. But that's a different post for a different day.

And now to what you've all been waiting for.

What it's like to go to college in your hometown:

You can go home to do laundry.
In my dorm, it costs $1 to wash one load of laundry, and then another $1, assuming you like to wear dry clothes. But when you get to go home and do laundry, you save...a lot of money. (And if you're lucky, your mom will fold your laundry for you because she actually enjoys what some consider "the art" of folding clothes. I am one of those lucky individuals.)

You already know your way around town.
This takes away the possibility of exploring a new place, but I've found that there's still something special about showing your friends around the place that you know─and if you'll admit it─love.

You know where all the town hot-spots are located.
Or lack thereof.

You can take your friends home whenever you want.
And you can make cookies in a kitchen that doesn't look like─well, to put it nicely, a dorm kitchen. And you can watch movies on comfy sofas opposed to futons. And you can make Sunday dinner and serve it to your whole family─plus guests. And you can play a pick-up game of 3-on-3 on the driveway. (If you have long hair, pull it back in a ponytail, because believe it or not, there are dirty players in this world who will pull your hair to keep you from getting the ball. You know who you are. Michaela.)

You don't have to worry about buying shampoo & conditioner because Grandma has you covered.
Thanks Grandma, you're the best.

You can continue attending your home church.
Or you can explore new churches that you've never been to before, and that's cool too. I must say though, it's been really great to attend the church I love with the friends I love.

You're basically a built in GPS for your friends.
You know where everything is. And if you're traveling long distances to actually find something to do or somewhere to eat, this is especially helpful. Without the navigational wisdom packed inside this little brain of mine, who knows if we would've made it to Olive Garden the other day.

Most of the professors already know your name.
They either a) know my mom, b) know my dad c) know me from church...or a combination of the three.

Many of the people on campus already know you.
And for those who already knew me, chances are they already knew my mom too. And when lots of people know you, they recognize you out in public: in the library, walking to class, sitting in chapel, eating in the caf, getting a drink from the drinking fountain, pulling into the gas station, hanging out with friends, playing ping-pong at the fitness center. Word gets around and you don't even have to tell your mom what's new with you because...she already knows.

You still get to meet a ton of new people!
The thing with college is that people come from all around (some shorter distances than other) to get their degree. Yes I'm still living in the same town as high school, but I've met so many new people on campus that it's really not the same at all. I've got friends from Colorado, Nebraska, Michigan, Nepal, Romania, and yes─even Iowa.


So there you have it─what it's like to go to college in your hometown. At least, from my perspective. There's a lot of good to it, but I'm sure there's a lot of good to college far away from home too. Are there downsides to living so close to home? I'll admit that at times there are, but I don't regret the decision. 

I've met too many great people on campus to ever regret the decision to stay here.



[Interested in reading more? Check out the Blog Archive to the right to find links to my other posts.]


If you liked this post, you might like...
What It's Like To Have The Worst Roommate Ever
The Pros & Cons of Living in a Dorm Room
Yes Mom, I'm Making Friends
Welcome to my Second Home, The Library
Studying: This Is My Life Now



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