According to statistics, approximately 38% of Ohio State students commute to class; I happen to be one of them. The Ohio State University is a beautiful campus and a great place to learn, but being a commuting student can sometimes be less than stellar. Here I present 5 truths that all commuter students know to be true.

1. The traffic is awful.

Trying to drive the highway system around Columbus, and even central Ohio in general, is absolutely terrible. There are very few times during the day that the roads aren't congested. Bonus if there's any kind of precipitation because then everybody forgets how to drive and your commute to class suddenly becomes The Hunger Games. Also, I'm pretty sure that there's some sort of wormhole in Columbus that distorts time because if I leave for class 5 minutes later than usual, then I end up being 30 minutes late but if I leave 5 minutes earlier than usual, I end up being 20 minutes early.

2. The parking is even worse.

So parking on such a big campus can be super confusing. You buy a parking pass then you try to figure out where you can actually park. Personally, I'm a cheapskate so I opted to buy the cheapest parking pass. Plus I already pledged my first born child to pay for tuition, so I was trying to minimize extra expenses. Parking out in BFE isn't all that awful per say, but not being able to easily find a spot during peak hours can definitely be annoying and you've definitely gotta watch out for the random restricted spots you're not allowed to park in - unless you want Campus Parc to write you a ticket. Then sometimes you have to wait for what seems like an eternity just to get back and forth from your car. So I obviously have complaints, but am I going to shell out more money for a better pass? Probably not.

3. Class times and commuting don't always mix well.

I don't think it's hard to argue that scheduling classes as a commuter is so much more complicated than if you live on campus. Scheduling 8 am classes isn't really that big of a deal when you've got a short walk to class. Being a commuter sometimes means leaving your house heinously early to attend a class you really don't want to get out of bed for. It's even more fun when you have class ALL DAY so you hit "rush hour" not once, but twice a day! Class 5 days a week can be pretty taxing too if you're a commuter. I literally use so much gas.

4. Campus life as a commuting student can be less than convenient.

I personally like living off campus, it saves me money and I like not having to pay a lot of money to live in less than ideal campus housing. It can also be a downside that you don't live on campus though. This semester, for 3 days a week I have classes all the way from 8 am until 5 pm. To me, that's a long time to go without the amenities of home. Unless I feel like driving all the way home just to come back for a later class, my options for eating and napping are fairly limited. I can't just go in the kitchen and make some lunch and then nap till my next class, which is pretty annoying.

5. Car rides to and from school can be somewhat productive I guess.

I find that singing along to some awesome music and turning the car ride into a mini concert/dance party is useful for keeping my rode rage under control. I stress less about the awful driving around me when the radio is up and I'm just singing along and minding my own business. I also find that car rides are also an opportune time to run through the various scenarios and arguments in my head that will likely never happen.

To be honest, I realized how true this list was while I was, you guessed it! Driving to class. Oh the life of a commuter.