Living off campus, especially if students live more than twenty minutes away, can be a luxury and a burden. They don't have to deal with paying an expensive fee for living in a dorm and they don't have to put up with lackluster cafeteria food every day. But, they do have to deal with not being able to sleep in because they have to face hours of morning traffic, feeling lost and somewhat excluded when it comes to campus activities, and spending way too much money on food and drinks since there usually isn't time to prepare food. Being a commuter is great since students don't have to put up with roommates and it is easier to disconnect from college life when they get home, but there are also the downsides of living off campus.
1. Spending too much money on food
On some days, commuting gives students all of the the time in the world to prepare a healthy lunch full of the protein that they need to get through the day, but on most days it may not seem realistic to pack a lunch when they're rushing to class or just getting off of work. Ever since I've been in college the one thing I spend the most money on is food either at the school food court or food down the street from college. On most days, I don't even have time to make coffee so I end up having to stop to get some on the way or at the campus coffee shop.
2. Missing campus events
Students are sitting at home in their pajamas drinking a strong cup of coffee. It is their day off from classes and they finally got the chance to sleep in. That's when they open up their social media apps and realize they've made a terrible mistake. Plastered all over social media are pictures of the monthly on-campus carnival with a moon bounce, free university t-shirts, free food, and a DJ. Tragically, the best campus activities and events happen on the day when commuters are not on campus.
3. Planning classes is a struggle
There is a lot of hype towards the end of the semester when everyone gets to decide what classes they want to take next semester, and everyone stays up until midnight for when the class selection opens online. Students usually plan their classes ahead of time, especially students who live off-campus because classes need to be taken according to what days students can come to school between work and home life. If they live thirty minutes away, they don't want to come to campus four times a week and waste gas money. The hardest part of planning classes to all be on the same day is the fact that all of the classes commuters want to take are on different days.
4. No place to nap
Students could sleep at a friend's dorm, if they have that kind of friendship, but most commuters are stuck napping in their cars or under a table at the library. The amount of times I've fallen asleep at the library, using my backpack as a pathetic pillow, have become too many to count on my hand. When commuters are in and out of classes all day and there can be some down time in between, all they really want is a quiet place to hibernate.
5. You can't wake up late
When commuters have a 9:30 AM class or even a 10:00 AM class, there is no time to sleep in, ever!
6. Forgot your homework? Too bad
Every night before bed, I make a checklist of things that I need to bring with me to campus the next day. When I wake up, I check the list multiple times because there have been way too many occasions when I had to drive all the way back home to get a homework assignment. Some students are not that lucky, some commuters are stuck taking the zero because they can't go home. This is one of the worst parts of being a commuter, having to be extremely prepared everyday.
7. Traffic
Commuters can't simply roll out of bed and drag themselves to class. They have to set their alarm hours in advance, hours and hours before class so that they can throw on acceptable attire and wait in morning traffic for way too long.
8. You have to bring your life with you
Cell phone charger? Check. Refillable stainless steel water bottle? Check. Laptop? Check. Fully packed lunch with a snack for the ride home? Check. Commuters have to make a list in their head of all of the things they have packed for their long day at campus, but they'll probably forget something and remember it when they are already halfway there. Since commuters are on campus for most of the day, having a reliable cell phone charger and accessibility to the internet is extremely important.
9. Late night study sessions
Students who live on campus can easily make the trek from their dorms to the library late in the night and it will only take a few minutes, but for commuters it is another struggle. All I want to do during finals week is study with my study group without having to be interrupted by the idea that I have to drive home while feeling exhausted studying.
10. Getting lost on campus
I can't even lie, I have gotten lost on my campus multiple times, trying to find the nurses office or a building that commuter students may not use often. Commuters may never understand the full map of their campus, even if they are there for most of the day.
