As a commuter, I have a very different college experience than residents do. Granted, I only live 10 minutes away from my campus, but the conveniences that I have at home are much different from the ones I would have living on campus. While there's good and bad differences, here's a list of the everyday thoughts of a commuter at college.
We'll start with the struggles:
1. Not being able to roll out of bed and just walk to class.
Every day feels like Monday for us. It's the idea that we have to set our alarm a few hours before our class even starts that makes it 10x dreadful for us. We wish we were that student that only has to walk 5 minutes to get to their 8 a.m.
2. Can't relate to the "roommate stories."
I live with my grandparents, the funny stories I have are what sassy thing my grandma said the night before while we were watching the news. Granted, I love it, but when everyone else has those roommate adventures, I'm watching classic movies with my grandpa, so I can't relate.
3. Trying to find a place to nap on campus.
Since I don't have a bed here, I guess those student lounge chairs will have to do.
4. Not knowing what to do on campus between classes.
Again, naps are not a big option. And with 1-2 hours between classes, it's kinda pointless to go home and try to accomplish something. So I guess I'll sit here and work on that homework I already finished.
5. Traffic
At the end of a long day of classes, all you want is to climb into bed and unwind. Unfortunately, there's one more obstacle in your way: TRAFFIC. Now if its later at night it might not be as bad, but if you leave during rush hours, prepare yourself.
6. Most of the fun activities start after you have to leave campus.
On my campus, all the fun campus activities and games (and parties) begin somewhere between 7-9pm, when I usually end up going home.
Now that we covered the bad, here's some of the good!
7. You get to sleep in your own bed.
Nothing beats snuggling up in those familiar sheets at the end of a long, grueling day of being a busy college kid.
8. No college junk food 24/7.
I don't know what I would do without grandma’s homemade meatloaf! Plus being able to avoid college cafe food and defeating the Freshman Fifteen is a definite bonus.
9. You're never homesick!
Homesickness is a usual struggle for resident college students. Being able to go home everyday and rant to your family about things in person and being able to hug them is always the best feeling.
10. You learn better time management skills.
When you have to add in your commute time and try to utilize that time between classes, managing time and scheduling things becomes a breeze, most days.....
11. SAVING MONEY
It's nice to not see that "Housing Fee" part on your final tuition bill, believe me. Future you will be grateful when they're paying off those student loans!
