From college towns to suburbia…the ins and the outs

Every time I come home from school, there are clear differences in the lifestyle. Not as that of a student and of my priorities, but rather in the norms of the suburbs versus that of a college town. I attribute this to what college students deem acceptable and what suburban citizens have overcome, but it's interesting to observe the differences firsthand.

1. Walking vs. driving everywhere

College students are adjusted to walking all the time. To class, dinner, a friend's house...why drive? You have to pay for gas anyway. Walking is keeping you fit and the walking itself is pretty peaceful. But in the suburbs, it's actually abnormal to walk anywhere. That's what 15 year olds and under do....walk downtown. Walk to their friends' houses. It's unheard of to park a mile away and go get it later. Walk somewhere in the snow just to see friends instead of remain in cabin fever. You're crazy if you want to walk somewhere. Tonight alone, my friends got in cars a total of five times to go to a friend's house, pick someone up from the train, drive back, go to get bubble tea, and drive home later. And each of these distances were probably no more than a mile away from each other. Hence, it's sad how suburban people lose the value of walking to enjoy some quiet time and pick people up without wasting some gas. 

2. Overall moodiness of being around college-aged kids

I live in a sorority house. I live in a double room, with a roommate, and people voice their opinions on things. We understand each other, and some things just go unsaid. You can be in a good mood, you can be in a bad mood, and it doesn't have to be questioned. At home, if you seem even the slightest bit off, something is wrong. With roommates, they don't want to hear it. It's just understood...you'll have a better day tomorrow. But you have to state a clear reason for why you are upset or what is wrong...it makes you think. Whether your rationale was ridiculous, or whether there even is one. 

I've experienced this dress-shopping. My mom and I argued over which length and size to get, and I was disappointed after. At school, it would have been perfectly okay to be moody for an hour and get over it later, but at home, I was hammered about what exactly was so upsetting for hours. Thus, be ready to rationalize your decisions for feeling anything in a suburb. 

3. Running into people

On a college campus, you run into people you know all the time. Classmates, people from campus activities, your friend's roommate's ex-boyfriend that you met that one time, the list goes on. But when you run into high school or hometown people, things are slightly different. Since it's not always expected, there's a grunt of "Ugh, I have to impress them right now. Time for small talk." But why don't we feel that way at school? These people will all run into you someday too. At home, it's a burden but at school, it's rather exciting and makes you feel popular to know people. In the suburbs, it's a competition of who is better off at that point in time and if you can't win, you don't want to be in that situation. 

4. Timeliness

In suburbia, no one is in a rush to get anywhere. Rephrase, no college student is in a rush to get anywhere (soccer moms on the other hand...). You have commitments, but you don't have to stick to a strict time clock or else you're looked at as insane. It's not like what anyone else is doing is that important. We told Hannah we'd be over at 7:30? Let's drive over around quarter to 8. At school, if you're late to such plans, you're missing a ride, missing an event, etc...but here, it can wait. 

Overall, these differences do reflect college student norms--being laid back time-wise, wanting attention but not too much attention from running into others, acting moody in front of friends but not family and walking around. Considering the reasons though is quite interesting and makes you think about why these occur!