While I cannot say that RIT is a big commuter school, I can state that some students do commute. Maybe not their freshman year, as I chose to do, but certainly as a second year student and upward. Since RIT is local for me, commuting always managed to find a way into a conversation, whether I wanted to discuss it or not.
I always envisioned myself living in the dorms at whatever college I chose to attend. Even though I lived within the 30-mile radius of RIT that allowed me to commute as a freshman, I still thought I would live on campus once I chose RIT. However, when I started looking at costs, I had to make a choice. One, live at home and commute to campus, or two, live on campus and take out loans to cover my room and board. You can guess what I chose.
Anyway, as the months went by and the first day of orientation was coming, I became nervous. Every book and website geared toward college freshmen will argue that it is perfectly fine to be nervous since everyone else is as well. Thing is, I was nervous for a whole other reason: commuting. Every blog and article I read on commuting told me I would being “missing out” on the college experience. Below are some quotes of from these articles:
“Commuters will not make as much contact with faculty”
“It is harder to connect to campus as a commuter”
“College becomes a necessity instead of an experience”
“Scheduling classes never works out”
I would like to point out that all of the above statements are false! RIT is a very engaging campus. I am part of two clubs, a graphic arts fraternity, two on-campus jobs, and a volunteer at the hospital! Through my on-campus jobs, I have definitely made many friends. Regardless of what people say, you can still make friends in classes you take. Each semester I have the opportunity to meet a bunch of new people, some of whom have become very close friends. In terms of scheduling, regardless of when my classes are, I fill the surrounding time with work and studying to enjoy being on campus.
If you are willing to make college an “experience,” commuting will not inhibit you, rather it makes you put more effort into being involved. I'm enjoying my commuter experience so far!