I found living in Res helped greatly, ecspecially if you find good friends within your faculty nearby. It also makes going to the gym (which is super close) less lonley since its easier to find people

I am Hamiltonian and don't regret not living on campus...living at home is great, you don't have to worry about laundry, food, or other such things. I don't mind the commuting part, in the morning it takes less than 40 minutes to get to mac (when I have 8:30 classes), and going back isn't that bad either, although if you miss the bus that takes you from downtown to the mountain, you will have to wait a bit...but that's also not a problem because you can arrange to leave on time (or a bit before) and catch the bus!

People say that you will make lots of friends on res, but I made tons of friends during my school year, so I don't think I missed out big time by not living on res.

Live on res = more time for studying + more distractions = lower productivity
Commute = less time for studying + fewer distractions = more quality study time = higher productivity
From my experiences...:.)

really small basements. (the room was wide, but every time I go into the room, I have to lower my head) - especially the houses in the sterling area.

Originally Posted by Zebedee

Live on res = more time for studying + more distractions = lower productivity
Commute = less time for studying + fewer distractions = more quality study time = higher productivity
From my experiences...:.)

I have never met anyone who has told me that they study better when they go home. Being at home with your family provides way more distraction and procrastination than being at school. No one i know would back this statement. Besides, McMaster offers great environments for studying through its numerous libraries. Sure you are going to have fun with your friends and roommates during first year in res, but all it takes is a small amount of self control to tell yourself to work when work needs to be done.

i found when i went home on weekends i studied more. while at res i had 0 motivation and just played video games with other people

Originally Posted by Chris23

I have never met anyone who has told me that they study better when they go home. Being at home with your family provides way more distraction and procrastination than being at school. No one i know would back this statement. Besides, McMaster offers great environments for studying through its numerous libraries. Sure you are going to have fun with your friends and roommates during first year in res, but all it takes is a small amount of self control to tell yourself to work when work needs to be done.

I guess it depends on your family...
And I can't study in a crowded space (claustrophobia )...

Originally Posted by Chris23

I have never met anyone who has told me that they study better when they go home. Being at home with your family provides way more distraction and procrastination than being at school. No one i know would back this statement. Besides, McMaster offers great environments for studying through its numerous libraries. Sure you are going to have fun with your friends and roommates during first year in res, but all it takes is a small amount of self control to tell yourself to work when work needs to be done.

I study better off campus than on campus. To be quite honest, I hate being in libraries where you can't get up and stretch or grab a drink at random, without having to pack up all your stuff or trust it to strangers. End up much larger breaks. Plus I run into friends and stuff on the breaks and they always want to talk and I never like to say "Sorry, can't talk; I need to study"

Personally I find I study best at my house, then at my parent's house (they aren't as understanding as roommates about time needed to study, plus having a teenager like my brother in the house is a guarantee of conflict), then finally at the library.

Originally Posted by arathbon

I study better off campus than on campus. To be quite honest, I hate being in libraries where you can't get up and stretch or grab a drink at random, without having to pack up all your stuff or trust it to strangers. End up much larger breaks. Plus I run into friends and stuff on the breaks and they always want to talk and I never like to say "Sorry, can't talk; I need to study"

Personally I find I study best at my house, then at my parent's house (they aren't as understanding as roommates about time needed to study, plus having a teenager like my brother in the house is a guarantee of conflict), then finally at the library.

Same, I don't like studying in school...i study much better at home. It really depends on your family. A friend of mine prefers studying in school because he has a large family and it gets really busy in his house throughout the year.

I prefer to study in my house...i never get distracted and nobody bothers me or anything.

especially hate studying at club mills

Guess this guy didnt get into bates or keyes^ Aside from his depressing view of res life, my roommates and I loved first year. Think we all agree we had some of our best times together back then! There is plenty of other places to get food on campus other then centro that arent as highly priced, guess you just werent willing to walk the extra bit of distance to the student centre or mini mac. If given the chance again, I wouldnt even hesitate to go back into residence, i love living off campus, but that doesnt take away from the great times in res

Originally Posted by Alina

ohh good question! I was wondering the same thing. I'm communting from Mississauga and I fear not living on res was a really big mistake. But i'm trying to convince myself that it wont be as bad as I make it seem right?

Ohey, I'm commuting from Mississauga too. I think living in a house just 5 minutes away isn't that bad. But yeah, for Mississauga - my brother and his best friend both commuted. They went from separate areas of Mississauga (he went from square one like me, and she went from somewhere near er erinmills, what ever the stop close enough to there is). He said it's really not that bad. It's just that you have to put more effort into meeting people but the money you save is totally worth it!
I mean, so long as you're social enough and you join clubs and go out to a few parites here and there... you'll meet a load of people. Especially with meeting people through classes/tutorials to top it.
The best thing, he said, would be just doing your readings on the bus - this way utilize that time.