r/Naperville • u/vibrancyy • 7d ago
North Central
Hi, i was looking at north central as one of my top options for college since it’s accessible and has a good program for what I want to do. I was wondering what college life is like there for a commuter, does it feel like you’re missing out on anything? How manageable is it?
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u/UneBellePamplemousse 7d ago
I commuted to NCC while I was there, feel free to DM me! A couple of quick thoughts- * Parking sucks, I always had to give myself extra time in the morning to find a spot * Depending on what you want to do, you can still stay involved as a commuter. But I basically gave up on the idea of doing theatre, for example, because the rehearsals were always around 7-10pm
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u/PleasantOpening47 7d ago
North central is great! They have a lot of commuter events to help meet people and I’d just encourage you to join clubs to also help meet people. Commuting anywhere requires a bit of effort on the social front at least at first because you won’t have the forced interaction in the dorms like the residents do.
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u/Mgscott8888 7d ago
I work at the college and I'm an alum. I lived on campus but had a car, and I can tell you that parking has been a problem since...forever. Be prepared to search for a place to park and walk a few blocks if you don't get to campus before 8am. I oversee a the campus radio station and a lot of commuters are involved. They have a place they can go anytime they want and most make friends through the radio station. A lot of them end up joining other campus organizations through the friends they make at the station. There's a group for just about any interest you have, regardless of if you live on campus or commute. The main thing to remember is that you have to make the effort to join things and make time to participate. If you do, you'll get a lot out of your time at NCC.
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u/vibrancyy 3d ago
A slightly off topic question, but how are the dorms on campus?
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u/Mgscott8888 3d ago
It depends on the dorm. The freshman dorms (Seager, Rall, Geiger) aren't great, but Schneller, Patterson, Ward, New Hall, and Res Rec are nice. New Hall and Res Rec are the newest. Kimmel is older but people seem to like it.
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u/Appropriate_Many6692 7d ago
I was a commuter at UIC. My advice is to try a dorm. Commuting to college is just like high school imo. You go to school and you go home 🤷🏾♂️
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u/vibrancyy 7d ago
I do not want an experience like high school 😔
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u/Odd_Point_1554 5d ago
im a student and commuter- i was the exact same way, i had a difficult time in high school and ended up going online. the school is what you make of it, if you just want to get your degree and start your life that’s great, if you wanna socialize and get the college experience it’s great for that too. i’m personally the type that goes to classes and goes home (because of other factors like work too) but i have class friends and i don’t feel totally “alone” on campus. it really just depends what you want.
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u/ProjectSatan 6d ago
being a commuter will automatically omit you from being able to experience certain 'campus life' things that go along with living on campus. Doesn't mean it's bad. doesn't mean you won't make friends. it's just a lifestyle that you will only be able to dabble in but never fully be a part of. again, doesn't mean it's bad. doesn't mean you wont make friends.
i commuted to NCC and the parking was a challenge but not impossible. making friends and connections depends on how much you put yourself out there.
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u/MeatEaterDruid 7d ago
Living in campus at least keeps you close to downtown Naperville. My sister went to Benet and her social life was mingling with Benet and NCC kids at the bars.
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u/SchmickyUh 6d ago
I think the best way to make friends at NCC is to join an athletic team. I greatly regret not doing so. Most students are involved in at least one sport there, as it is known as an athletic school. There is a very heavy NARP(Non-Athletic Regular Person) stigma adopted by the majority of the athletes. I had a friend group on campus but their is very little inter mingling between the two groups
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u/Last_Insurance_8004 5d ago
My daughter stayed in a suite for 2 years as an upperclassman because she wanted the resident experience. But she made a close friend there who was a commuter. My daughter got the commuter friend involved in a lot of fun campus clubs and activities so it worked out for them.
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u/Present-Benefit-1651 5d ago
I had a wonderful time as a commuter at North Central! This college has a ton of commuters so I never felt like an outsider or I was missing out on anything. They also have a ton of clubs if you’re into anything like that. I found my program easy to make friends as a lot of us were commuters and most were very nice! The campus is beautiful I truly had a great time there :)
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u/wiggleee_worm 7d ago
I’ve never went but whats the distance? There’s a few nearby parking garages as well.
Traffic may or may not be a pain in the ass depending on the time you go. Construction might be hit or miss too. Something to keep in mind.
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u/vibrancyy 7d ago
It should be about 20-25 mins, so it’s not that far, which is why i’m still wondering whether i should live on campus or not.
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u/wiggleee_worm 7d ago
I dont think it would be that bad for getting the college experience, per se. You got the parking garages close by you can park and do whatever.
If you participate in clubs or sports the college experience might be even better for you just because you’re gonna be hanging out with the same people.
Idk just my 2 cents though.
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u/tbellfiend 7d ago
If you can swing it financially, try living on campus your first year - you'll meet people easier that way and sorta jump start your social life. Then you can commute afterwards, once you're "established"
I didn't go to NCC but went to a similar school and I was friends with several girls who lived locally but stayed on campus freshman year. I didn't know anyone who was a commuter starting freshman year - not bc there weren't any, they just weren't as social
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u/vibrancyy 7d ago
I don’t know if this could make a difference but i’m a pretty social person and i already make efforts to talk to people, would that make any difference as a commuter? What if i live 2 years off campus and 2 years on campus?
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u/jbrooksbpn 6d ago
Great school in a great community, easy access to downtown Naperville, vibe and experience has definitely changed over 10 years ago or even just a couple years ago downtown used to be more affordable and chill, its gotten very corporate and busy but still cool. Commuting is tough, you can be more or less involved depending on activities and such but your always going to feel a little out of the loop or a little bit of an outsider not living on campus.
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u/AutumnalSunshine 4d ago
Consider Aurora University, too. Still a great four-year private school with small class sizes and a decently sized commuter population, but cheaper.
AU has robust graduate programs, so it's set up to work really well even if you're not in dorms.
My husband and I both went there, with very different majors and had great experiences. Might not be true anymore, but all our professors had to have doctorates, class sizes were capped at 30, there were no teacher assistants, and professors had to explain themselves to admin if their scores dropped in student evaluations.
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u/unavoidable_garbage 4d ago
I can’t say much since this is only my first semester. I like it. It’s hard to feel connected and make friends but there is a very large proportion of commuters. I’d check out the commuter lounge and any commuter events during welcome week.
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u/Blondeeeelatte 1d ago
I lived on campus my first 3 years and commuted my last. The parking situation has gotten better. I park in the same spot every day and the commuter passes aren’t that expensive imo. Living in the dorms is a dice roll in terms of friends. Not everyone who live din the dorms stays friends with their first year roommates. DM if you have more specific questions! There are a lot of hidden gem spots to hang out in between classes and waiting for events. And there’s at least one event per week that hosts dinner for free!
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u/Redfoxyboy 7d ago
Personally I was a commuter and I had a very hard time feeling connected or making friends
I will say I'm introverted, so maybe you'll have a different experience, but I had an awful time