19 Things Commuter Students Know Too Well | The Odyssey Online
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Student Life

19 Things Commuter Students Know Too Well

The insanity is a never-ending struggle.

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19 Things Commuter Students Know Too Well
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College as a whole is an entirely different experience from one student to the next. Students have varying majors, career paths, and ways they go about their living arrangements. Some students choose to dorm or live on their own close to campus, while the rest of us brave souls fight our way through crowds and delays, traffic and torture on a daily basis in order to obtain our education. Here are some things that only commuter students would be able to relate to.

1. There is no such thing as "on time."

You are either absurdly early or ridiculously late.

2. Dressing cute is completely out of the question.

Are you really going to choose cute shoes over efficient speed-walking or running? Not a chance.

3. The "...but I might need it" syndrome plagues you every morning.

...and 9 times out of 10 you end up never touching whatever extra thing it is you brought with you. And yet, the one time you decide to not bring that something, you end up needing it. Go figure.

4. Hot meals are a thing of the past.

Unless you're buying lunch everyday, you enjoy whatever's in your tupperware. Yum, tupperware lunches. But dinner is another story....

5. You come to truly appreciate your mom's cooking.

And the fact that it's served hot and not in tupperware.

6. You're basically a walking version of the snack aisle in any grocery store.

Chips, cookies, granola bars, fruit, candy, you name it, odds are we've got it.

7. Every day is cardio day.

No workout beats sprinting half a mile to catch your train, not to mention the weight of the belongings you carry on your back.

8. Your entire schedule revolves around your transportation.

Forget a social life, you need to catch your ride home.

9. People will never understand your obsession with catching that one train or trying to beat rush-hour traffic.

Unless you have actually taken the insanely slow train or been stuck in traffic for over an hour and a half, you will never truly relate.

10. Your backpack resembles Mary Poppins' bag (except it has the too-obvious capability of actually getting full).

You're so used to walking around with this weight that when you go anywhere without it, it feels like you're missing an arm or something. On that note...

11. You could easily survive the apocalypse with the contents of your backpack.

Yes, a commuter student's backpack is the ultimate survival tool. It's full of food and various other random yet important paraphernalia. That's why it's especially important to surround yourself with commuter friends.

12. Missing the train or being stuck in traffic often leads to a meltdown (or at least some angst).

It's all part of the struggle.

13. You're often up well before the sun is.

Commuting usually requires an extra hour or two plus you know, all that morning stuff. Gotta get to those 8 AMs on time(ish)!

14. You have an unnatural talent at memorizing all the details of your transportation.

Train and traffic times, streets, alternate routes, shortcuts, you know it all.

15. Your commute can make or ruin your day.

We commuting folk take all of this quite seriously. Traffic is especially annoying and time consuming, and missing a train can be a bigger deal than many imagine.

16. Multitasking has become second nature.

Commuting while eating lunch AND doing school work? Not a problem.

17. You have a close circle of commuting friends.

These people keep you somewhat sane amid all the craziness, and these people can actually relate to what you go through. Best of all...

18. You and your friends have endless ranting sessions about commuting.

The stories just never stop simply because the insanity of commuting never ceases.

19. You have learned a lot about the real world from your commuting experiences.

College is all about learning, and the truth is it's hard to learn about the world while stuck inside a classroom or lecture hall. The real learning comes from all the various trials and failures in the "real world." For commuter students, we're always out there, learning first hand how the world runs. It's true that we may moan and wail and complain our hearts out about commuting but the truth is, no commuter will ever deny having truly learned from his or her experiences. And in the end, that has to count for something.
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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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