College is definitely an amazing experience! The friends that you make can be lifelong, the memories you create are something that you will never forget, and you will have countless stories to tell your friends and family when your time in college is up. But, for commuters all of these things are a little bit different. There are definitely some things that all commuters will understand, here are just 10 of them:

1.Parking. Parking. Parking.

I can't even begin to explain the parking struggle to those who do not understand it. There is an exact science when it comes to finding a parking spot on campus. Most commuters know the exact time to turn into a specific lot in order to find a spot. We are not scared to follow someone walking to their car and ask relentlessly whether they are leaving the parking lot or not. We will do whatever it takes.

2. Cancelled Classes

Nothing makes a commuter want to cry more than a teacher who doesn't send out class cancellation emails; or flakes out on class without any warning. After all, you left your house an hour early to find a parking spot and walked to campus only to read a sign on your classroom door announcing that class has been cancelled. All of your efforts were for nothing...

3. Feeling Homeless in Between Classes

Nothing is worse than having an 8:00 a.m. class and having to wait around campus until your next class at 10:50 .a m. There isn't enough time for you to drive home, nap, drive back, find parking, and get to class on time. So there is always that weird amount of time in between classes where you are either roaming around campus, the dining hall, or waiting in a lobby, or napping in your car.

4. Gas Prices

When it comes to gas prices, nothing is worse than commuting. No matter how close or how far you live from campus, gas prices will always be the bane our a commuter's existence.

5. Your Car is Your Best Friend

Although gas prices will always make you shed a tear, your car is your best friend. Whether you spend 20 minutes studying in it before a big exam, resting your eyes for the few minutes that you have to breathe in a day, or blasting music around campus like a boss, your car will forever be your best friend as a commuter it college.

6. Having to Get Signed Into Residence Halls

The ultimate struggle for a commuter is when most of your college friends live on campus. Having to rely on them to sign you in just to hang out for a few hours is the biggest pain. And you are basically SOL if they have already the maximum amount of people that they can in. Too bad, so sad.

7. 8:00 a.m. Are Sometimes a Necessity

I think that every college student can agree that 8:00 a.m. are the one thing that we all try to avoid the most. But, for a commuter, an 8:00 a.m. is sometimes the only way to get decent parking on campus. So, while all the residents are waking up at 10:40 a.m. to walk to their class at 10:50 a.m., commuters are waking up at ridiculous times in the hopes of finding a parking spot sometime around 7:30 a.m.

8. No Turning Back

For most commuters, once you are on campus, you are there all day until your last class is over. This means that you have to lug all your books for that day's classes, plus all your binders, and your laptop in your tiny backpack. If you forget something at home, you are screwed, because we all know that there is no turning back.

9. Your Routine Needs to Go Smoothly

A routine is a commuters best friend, and once you get the hang of it, it is the only thing that will keep you sane. You know down to the minute everywhere you need to be at what time. If I park by 7:46 a.m. I have just enough time to walk to campus and be there by 7:52 a.m. this means I can be in my chair in class by 7:59 a.m. One minute to spare.

10. "You're not getting the full college experience!"

Us commuters hear this phrase at least three times a day. We hear it at school. We hear it at home. We hear it at work. We will never be able to escape it. But I promise you, we are getting just as much of a college experience as residents; we just go about it a little differently.

Although commuters students do go through these struggles, commuting definitely has its perks. We get home cooked meals, we can do our laundry for free, we don't have to worry about problems with our roommates, and most of all, we get to come home to our own nice warm bed every night. And that makes everything worth it.