In the middle of my freshman year of college, I transferred to a school that happened to be within a reasonable distance of my home. Because my transfer was so sudden, I chose to take the easy route and not have to deal with finding a roommate and moving into a new dorm. Also, not having to pay for room and board sounded like a very smart financial choice. So, I lived at home. I never imagined myself as a commuter. But now, after two semesters, I could drive to school with my eyes closed (don't worry, I wont). I've made a thoughtful decision to live on campus next semester, but my time as a commuter student taught me some valuable lessons.
Always be prepared for anything.
You never know what to expect out of the universe. Maybe you leave your house for your 8 a.m. lecture at the same time as always, but you get stuck by a train. Maybe rain isn't in the forecast, but it starts to torrentially downpour and you're doomed to walk around campus all day without an umbrella. I've learned how to be prepared for absolutely anything. I keep an umbrella in my car and try to leave super early before my classes. It's the result of pure luck if I make it to class on time if I'm running behind schedule.
Some days feel like they'll never end.
The longest consecutive period of time I ever spent on campus during the week was 16 hours. While resident students spend days, weeks, or months on campus, the difference is that they have a comfortable place to retreat to between classes or activities that they can call their own. Admittedly, always sitting in the library during downtime is exhausting and not very fun. But, I've become much better at handling long days. I used to absolutely dread getting through extensive periods of class or work, but now I'm used to it. In fact, my long days as a commuter student have prepared me for long days at my future career.
The timing won't always be right, but you have to make it work.
Timing is everything, but sometimes it's simply a huge pain. No matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can't get into the class sections you want. I once needed to take classes that were spread out from 8 a.m. to 8:50 p.m. And as for student organization meetings? Good luck finding one that meets at noon. Most meetings are late at night, once everyone has finished class. For commuters, this means that the price of getting involved could be 12-hour days on campus. Even though it might be tough, I've realized that if something is that important to you, you can put the inconveniences aside and make the time.
Commuting to college was definitely a challenge, but it made me a stronger individual. I learned to balance school and home life, how to be prepared for anything, and how to make time for the things that are most important to me.
