As this semester comes to a close, and finals are rearing their ugly little heads on the horizon, I think I can confidently say that college students are feeling a kind of burn that isn’t related to the presidential elections. There is so much time and energy invested into the stress, fatigue, confusion and feeling of misplacement that simply typing in “How to survive college” into a Google search bar will bring up 164,000,000 results! Look at the number of lists, articles, courses, advisors, and activities surrounding this topic in hopes of reaching out to help. It is honestly pretty typical for the abundance of help for college students available on the Internet.
However, these advice blogs, article and activities don’t always seem to stretch out to the commuter students of our university. A lot of the advice isn’t always applicable to them. They aren’t moving into a dorm room, so they don’t make the adjustments like roommate searches, doing laundry at a different schedule, and finding the best places to eat on campus. They aren’t being exposed to hall councils, filled with on and off campus opportunities. They aren’t making friends around the university, with the similarity of living just a short distance away. Commuter students spend their time simply repeating their schedules from high school, while trying to find their places on campus.
I myself am a commuter student, and have been for two years. I’ve never lived in a residence hall, things like my orientation were cut short because I was scheduled to work that afternoon, and as unfortunate as it may be, a lot of the friends I had made my freshman year were also commuters, because we have made those connections. When I started college last year, I often felt out of place, because the university was so big, and I didn’t always feel like I was a part of it. I went out of my way to schedule my classes close together so I wouldn’t have too much extra time spent just trying to find a place to lounge. I would be at class extraordinarily early, which meant leaving my house before the sun was even up. Things like joining clubs and organizations seemed so difficult, since meetings were almost always held on the weekend or in the evening, and I wasn’t interested in driving that far. I continued to feel this isolation on my own campus, even though I was still a student.
It wasn’t until I took time to step out of my comfort zone that I really started to feel more connected and have a sense of belonging. I signed up for email alerts for organizations related to my major, then fit them in my schedule so I could attend. I spread my classes out, so I could make time on campus for socializing, exploring, and working. I spent time trying to make connections with several different kinds of students, on and off campus. I made leadership and campus involvement as much of a commitment as my classes and job.
Fellow commuter students, I understand your struggle in this endeavor of college. You don’t need me to write you lists and articles explaining how to connect to your school. You have become capable of that in your time as a student. What you do need, however, is the realization that college doesn’t have to be distant for you. I love my university, and you can too. You just have to find your own way that makes the most sense for you interests, your life, and your schedule. It won’t happen in a week, or a month, or even a semester. But putting yourself in place on campus will ultimately make you happier, more engaged, and more motivated.
