And so the Fall 2016 semester begins and thus far I'm not sure what to think of it. I'm a third semester senior who's graduating in December and commuting to campus all semester. In past semesters', I lived on or off campus but was never more than 5 minutes from the university. Campus was a mere short walk and naps could be taken in between classes. Now, due to only being here for one semester, I commute. And here are my thoughts about it as I prepare for this new routine.

Finding a parking spot is complete insanity. And from living on campus, I knew that parking was going to be terrible. I have a commuters pass but if you don't want to drive in circles for 45 minutes, you have to arrive earlier than those with 8am classes. I've parked in the Sykes Student Union parking lot before and while walking back to my car, I had cars stalking me for my spot. I did that once too I won't lie. Finding parking on the first day wasn't so bad because....

My days of sleeping in are over. The first day of classes I woke up at 5:30am just so I could get a decent parking spot. By 10:00am I could barely keep my eyes open in class. I used to roll out of bed at 10:00am and walk to class without a problem. Now i have to factor in traffic and parking and what if it happens to snow. Speaking of traffic...

It isn't so bad, if you wanna be up before the sun. I'm more concerned about the commute home. I live 45 minutes away near King of Prussia. If you live in that area, you know to stay far, far away from 422 around rush hour. And with all this traveling back and forth...

My car has become unrecognizable. The front seat is basically a pantry with breakfast foods, lunch foods, snacks, etc. It will basically become a freezer come winter. The backseat is a make shift closet with extra clothing decorating the seats, shoes scattered across the floor, and jewelry hanging from the hooks. I realized the first day of class when I spilled something on my shirt that I should probably bring a change of clothing with me. Makeup is also somewhere amongst the mess. To reduce traveling time and to secure a good parking spot on campus, I apply my makeup in the car after I have parked. And since my car is such a mess...

I hide out in the library, which is basically home base. The best places to study are the quiet floors and the area around Starbucks. If you stick around long enough, there are no lines that you have to wait in. I should start using the library as my address since I am there more than I am at my actual house.