[PSY]

Hello, Ryce!

Just to clarify, did you mean to say $1,800 a month? Because $18,000 a month is practically impossible for ANYONE to come up with! It doesn't really matter, though, because it seems you're not going to be able to live in the dorms, regardless of whether it's $1,800 or $18,000.

Living in college dorms for two years was a good experience for me, but honestly, I could have enjoyed my college experience just as much if I had lived at home and commuted. There are pros and cons to each, and ultimately, it's what you make of it. If you decide to go to class and come straight home, then yes, you're probably going to be disappointed with your overall college experience. That would be something YOU would choose to do, though! You can always choose to stay for another hour or two and socialize at a club meeting, or chat with people after class, or watch a sports game. Not living in the dorms will only "ruin" your college experience if you allow it to!

I am a strong believer that college is what you make of it. You could go to the best university in the country, but not gain anything from the experience (other than learning from classes). On the other hand, you could go to a lower-tier university, but get involved in extracurriculars, become an intern for a professor, and find amazing opportunities to volunteer within and around your university. I wouldn't regret the decision you made. It seems like you wanted to save yourself a great deal of financial strain further down the road, and that was probably a very smart decision. Yes, you're hitting some bumps in the road now... but honestly, transitioning into the "college life" isn't always a smooth process. It doesn't matter which program you attend... you have to be proactive and ensure everything works out to the best of your abilities. If something goes wrong, you need to call people and get the information you need, documenting everything along the way. Hey, now you know how important it is to do research about living situations ahead of time! That's a valuable lesson to learn - and while it sucks that things didn't work out, it doesn't suddenly mean your college experience is going to turn into crap.

God has a plan for you, but that doesn't always mean things are going to be easy. Nowhere in the Bible does it state God's believers will have an "easy" time or be "lucky." In fact, quite the opposite is stated... we're guaranteed to struggle! All I can say is to hang in there, and things will work out with time. You may need to endure some frustrating situations for a while, but in the end, you're going to get to where you need to be. You will persevere and enjoy your college experience... if you don't throw in the towel and fret about how things are turning out at this particular moment in time.