Residential to road life: One student’s perspective

As the sun sets over my time here at Lasell, I reflect on how my life has evolved over the years. During my college decision process, the most important factor to me was whether or not I could see myself living there for four years. Lasell was a great choice for me because it was everything I wanted at the time. It was small, secluded, and had good options for dorming. I loved living on campus in my early years here. My freshman year I lucked out being assigned a building with suite-style rooms. With the roommates I had there, I lived in Rockwell the following year. As an athlete, I loved it, but as a student, I hated how far it was from the library, where most of my classes are, and I also hated the hill that guards the path to Rockwell.

In the coldest climates, that hill was my enemy. No one talks about how busy that path is either. There are six dorms on that side of campus, and you will run into every single person you know who lives in them. It wasn’t an issue at first, but once the weather gets cold, so runs my patience, and saying hello began to feel more of a chore than something genuine.

This wasn’t much of an issue for me in my junior year, when I lived in Karandon house. K-House was the perfect location to live a low-key lifestyle on campus without feeling completely out of the loop. I loved it there, and my roommate studied abroad that spring, so I stayed in that room as a single as well.

Room draw leading up to senior year was a struggle. I couldn’t manage to secure a single anywhere that wasn’t McClelland. Everything seemed hopeless until my peer reached out about some alumni who were interested in getting an apartment in Waltham. Low rent and my own bedroom, incredible.

I love being a commuter this year. After classes and meetings, I get the feeling of “going home”. Life as a commuter is peaceful. Apartment living has fostered my personal growth and a deeper understanding of my priorities in life, including those I allow in it. That being said, I’m going to miss my home in Waltham, but what I will miss most about Lasell will be the people, and not the resident lifestyle.