From a 10 minute bus ride to school to almost 2 hours by train. What once were two walls that I walked beside became buildings. The walk to each class went from 2 minutes to almost 10 minutes. The difference is astonishing to me. The life of a commuter isn't really what I had in mind when I went off to college but I'm not opposed to it at all. There's always going to be pros and cons to taking a train to school every single day.
The trek to my college is a long one I won't lie, I have to wake up earlier than most students since I'm from Long Island and I have to get to Manhattan. An 8 A.M. class will always be the death of me since I have to wake up 2 hours earlier. I always tell myself that I shouldn't take 8 A.M. classes anymore but I always find myself doing exactly that, every semester. I wake up at 6 in the morning in order to catch my train and it takes about an hour just to get to the train station in Manhattan alone. Here's where a con comes in. The trains are always unpredictable and never come on time. Here's a difference for me, I take the LIRR (Long Island Railroad) in the morning, then I take the MTA afterwards. I'm always on the 1 train in the mornings and it's always packed and people are always trying to crowd in when there obviously isn't any room left.
The subways sometimes don't stop at where I need to go or they're delayed. Now that I think about it, my bus from high did that from time to time as well. There's a similarity there. As well as the part where sometimes extra students would be on the bus also. The main difference between the both of them may have come from the fact that it takes a lot longer to get to school now since I go to the city. I won't say that it's all bad, I've had great conversations with people that I've met on the trains. From other students that commute, as well as a woman who was playing in a band at the place I was working at. The experience is what I love the most about it. You never know what to expect on the train.
On the bus, I was able to just put my head against the seat above me and get some sleep but on the train you always have to be alert in case something happens like missing your stop. I've never understood how people can fall asleep so easily on the train. I could be just minding my own business and at times random people on the train just put their head on you and are fast asleep. If I'm ever in that situation, I would just accept it at that point and act as calm as I can.
High school and college have differences, but are somewhat similar. The old students I use to see in the hallways of high school I now see all throughout the city.The surroundings may change but the people will never.
