Unlike those who live on campus, commuter students have a bit of an inconvenience when it comes to going to college. Most commuter students often lose motivation to succeed in school because of the situation they’re in. From the time they wake up, to the time when they go home, they barely have any time left for studying and or relaxing. Let’s not forget that most commuter students have to wake up at a ridiculously early time just so they can have enough time to get ready, drive/get driven to their school, and not be late at the same time.
Problems Faced by Commuters
Some of the struggles commuter students faced were lacking the time to study/do work, not having enough time to sleep, paying gas/toll/parking money, traffic problems, the inability to participate in study groups with their fellow classmates, loneliness, lacking friends (not the same for everyone), and possibly culture shock (not familiar with the place).
Time Management
Most commuter students have a disadvantage when it comes to time management. Unlike those who live on campus, commuter students can’t really be wasting time. There’s obviously going to be homework in at least one class, and if they don’t use the time they’ve been given, things will soon pile up. This especially applies to those who want to relax at home after school.
A friend of mine, let’s call her S, who is a second-year college student told me about how hard it is to fit academics, work, and leisure all in one day. Since she has work in the afternoon till night, she doesn’t really have a lot of time to do work and relax. Once her last class of the day ends, she could hang out with her friends for a tiny bit, but has to quickly eat her lunch, because her job is far away. With that amount of “break time”, she won’t have the chance to do her work or anything, so she’ll have to improvise and perhaps do it after work, which is late at night.
For me, I feel like I’m on the “safe side” for now, since I don’t have a job yet. I always use the break times I have to finish any sort of assignments so I have more time to do other things afterwards. I do have several time limits though. During after school hours, I usually get picked up from school at 4:30-ish because that’s the time my dad gets off of work (and no one wants to be stuck in the traffic of the 5'clock rush hour). Depending on the time my last class ends, I either have about three hours or barely one hour to finish my work. Because of the limited amount of time I have, I cannot be messing around.
Spending Money Wisely
Traveling from place to place isn’t cheap. Whether it’s public transportation, an Uber/Lyft, or your own car, you’ll still have to pay some sort of price. Gas prices are gradually increasing throughout the years, so driving yourself to school would not be cheap. Pair that up with trying to maintain your car, and you’ll have a huge financial problem just for that, and even if you were to take great care of your car, gas is still in the picture. Some may think public transportation will be a better alternative but that’s not at all true. They will still have to pay money for it.
When it comes to “prices”, commuter students’ problems aren’t just limited to money. If they were to take any sort of transportation the price they pay are encountering very sketchy people. No one really knows what kinds of people are on bart/the bus, so it could be a scary experience for them.
Another problem with commuter students and money is making sacrifices. Some commuter students work just so they could pay for necessities and things, but they’re not able to pay for all of it.
“For me, sometimes I have to make financial sacrifices like not buying a meal just so I can have enough money to get to and from school. There are also some really creepy and horrible people you’ll encounter at bart/on the bus sometimes.” , says Destiny, a first year student.
Traffic
Has anyone driven to and from San Francisco before? Those who have would probably understanding how stressful doing that is. The traffic is mostly terrible and rarely smooth, regardless of the time of day it is. Now imagine that multiplied by the number of days you have classes. That would literally be the definition of hell.
If it isn’t driving to school, it is public transportation. There could be a possibility that your ride is late, or that you woke up late. Another friend of mine, let’s call them P, said “I have to wake up extra earlier than people who live on campus just to get ready, then take the train. I think there’s a lot of waiting in between trains and buses that’s annoying.” Although I’ve never taken public transportation for school before, I can imagine how stressful this person’s situation could be. The train/bus/BART could be so crowded, you might just have to wait for the next one to come, thus, making you late for school.
I usually have to wake up at 5 in the morning in order to get ready and eat, just so I won’t be late to my 8AM class on Mondays and Wednesdays. I could chill for a bit on Tuesdays and or Thursdays, because my first class starts at 10AM. However, the condition of the traffic is so unpredictable, I could sometimes leave the house super early and still barely make it to class.
Fitting In and Socializing
So, you’re starting school in a new environment, and you have no idea what the people are like there. The place seems so unfamiliar to you, and you don’t know where to chill at or who to chill with, because you have no friends/all your friends are at different schools. And you don’t really have time to meet new people because you have so much to do and your leisure time is limited.
Along with having little to no time to “have fun” and enjoy “campus life”, most commuter students find it hard to make (and keep) friends. It will be hard for them to keep in touch with friends (newly made or old ones) because they’re mostly very busy. Some might have to go home right after class because of a job, house work, or homework, etc. Study groups, have you heard of them? Your classmates all agreed to meet up at a certain time and place to do work/study together, but you’re not able to attend it. “Another one I have is not being able to be as active in school events because I need to go home right away. It’s harder to make friends when you only go to class and dip”, Destiny said.
SFSU Commuter Students
Being a commuter student at SFSU is kind of like being a commuter student at any college. However, I think the thing that distinct SFSU from the others is the almost-all-day terrible traffic. No matter where you come from, if you’re trying to go to San Francisco, the traffic is almost aways unpredictable. By that, it means that you could be ready since the night before, be prepared super early for the day, and still barely make it to class because of the horrible traffic.
Resolutions
One way to help is to get as much as your work done as possible. Try to prioritize which assignment is due first, and do the other ones later (if you can). For me, if I have two things due (one on Monday and one of Thursday, for example) I’ll be sure to finish the one due of Monday the day it’s assigned. For the one due of Thursday, I usually do it after finishing the other one. If I could not finish that one, I usually try to spread it out on the remaining days. You should also keep a planner, so you’ll remember what needs to be done for the day, no matter how busy or preoccupied you are. It’s a nice way to prevent you from falling behind in your classes. Reading head on lessons could also be a good idea, so you be ahead in the class (not disregarding the lesson, of course). If you were to do that, you might get a little more leisure time.
Conclusion
Although it seems like hell to be a commuter student, there’s always ways to overcome those “obstacles”. To all my fellow commuter students out there, don’t give up and keep doing what you’re doing!