When attending any form of higher education, you are part of either one of two groups : commuters and residents. While commuters live off of campus and leave after their classes are finished, residents reside on campus and are a bit more connected to the college community. I for one, being a commuter myself, have had some troubles fitting into my campus community. However, I am starting to discover how to still be a part of the community, while not living on campus. College is more than an education; it's an experience, and everyone should be looking to be involved, including commuter students. In this article, I would like to offer advice to those who plan to commute to their chosen higher education institution and a couple ways on how they can get involved.
The first way is communicating and building friendships with the people in your classes. Not only will you possibly meet other commuter students who can relate to your situation, but find residents you can become connected with. By creating these kinds of friendships, you can find insider information on what's happening on campus, such as with sporting events and other community activities. Believe it or not, most (if not all) of these events are open to all students, including those who live off campus. Find out if these friends you've met are also attending these events, so you can spend some quality time with them. Also try to stay on campus a bit after your classes, even if you have nothing to do. You may find some friends who aren't busy either and may want to hang out with you. It is always good to be around campus, so you begin to feel more close and connected to your college community. Although as a commuter you won't necessarily be going to the late-night parties in the resident halls, there are still many activities you can go to in order to increase your social activity on campus.
Another way to possibly get connected with your college is to join clubs that take place outside of your classes. Arrange in your schedule to come back to campus, and look for things that may interest you. For example, I joined the Odyssey because I am someone who has an interest in writing. There are many other clubs too at colleges, such as film clubs, sports, student government and much more. It may be challenging to work around your schedule off campus at first, but stay in touch with the people who organize and run these clubs, and eventually you will figure out how to manage your time wisely. Also find out from your friends from classes what clubs they are involved in, and see if they interest you as well. Don't just come for the classes, come for the community too!
Although it may be daunting at first to find a way to fit the entire college experience in your schedule, don't give up. Eventually you will figure it out, and it doesn't all have to be done in the first year. I have been facing some troubles as a commuter student freshman so far, and I hope to work them out later on in my college life. I wanted to write this article in order to reach out to other commuter students that may feel overshadowed by the resident experience, and wish to be involved on campus. I am starting to understand how commuters can get involved, and I want others to see these ideas and hopefully help connect the entire campus community as a whole. As I learn new ways to be involved on campus, I hope that my classmates and other students will too. There may be a ride back and forth from your college campus, but college will never leave your mind and heart.
