I absolutely love online communities. Sometimes when I’m feeling disconnected, they give me a sense of connection.

Aside from that, they’re really helpful. I’m in this one community where college students / graduates give advice to high schoolers, shaking in their boots with millions of questions (people like me!).

They helped me in deciding one thing: I don’t want to commute from home if the drive is any more than 20 minutes or so. Assuming that I DO get my driver’s license before I enter college, I don’t think I’ll be able to drive long distances. I wouldn’t even trust myself driving to the local store! Besides that, living on campus is ultimately superior. I am known for doing all-nighters, and then catching a few winks, and by the time I have to wake up to go to school, I’m not able to get up in time. If I have a long drive between the school and me, there’s no way I can get to class. Also, I won’t be able to get comfortable with the campus and the people if I barely have enough time to get to school. And finally, living on campus has been my dream. My initial dream was to go to college far, far away. Now, my dream is more realistic, but the concept is the same—deep down inside I don’t think I want to live at home when I go to college.

If I manage to get into UCI, living at home is the way to go. Likewise with community college or Cal-State Fullerton. As for any other school, I want to live on campus. I’m slowly getting it together. I still have some other things to decide and I need to talk to my parents (sometime I also dread).

I’ve been terrified of loans. I shudder at the thought when my teachers tell me they’re still in debt. But really… college is sort of a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing for me. I don’t really have a second chance (haven’t got the time or money). Even if it means loans, I should do it. When am I ever going to get a chance to live on campus again? When am I ever going to get to go to the campus I desire as a young student again?