While Georgia Southern and Statesboro offers many on and off campus housing options, with differing distances to the heart of campus, many GS students also turn to another option to get to school: commuting.

According to U.S. News, an average of 19 percent of college freshmen chose to commute to campus in the Fall of 2013 and the numbers have increased in the past few years.

As a result, some GS students are choosing to commute to campus, either from their pre-college homes or other houses and apartments that are considerably further from Georgia Southern.

Ross Stimpson, senior writing and linguistics major, has lived 15 minutes off campus for the past three years and says the pros of living further away outweigh the cons.

“You won’t be kept up late at night by unruly neighbors or have to wait for maintenance to get to your apartment after something breaks down,” Stimpson said. “Being able to relax in a place of relative solitude after a long day of class is nothing short of bliss.”

The growing numbers of commuters are highly correlated with the costs of campus housing, both on and off. Plus, commuting also saves students and their families stress involved with housing arrangements.

Despite saving big bucks on housing in the long run, commuting still has its setbacks. Sydney Parrish, senior dual certification education major, says she lived 20 minutes from campus last year and that it was not always convenient.

“I actually love living off campus, but sometimes the drive is inconvenient. There have been several times I have left my house 45 minutes before a class, parked on campus, walked to class and then figured out class was canceled,” Parrish said.

The right place to live during the school year is all a matter of opinion, so make sure you know what qualities work best when choosing between your pre-college house or a home away from home.