The Commuter Student Thread/Poll (Commuter means that you live at home with parents.)

<p>Post your school's name (you don't have to if you don't want to), what class year you belong to currently (freshman, sophomore, etc.), the distance from your home to your school, and your primary mode of transportation.</p>

<p>So, I'll start:</p>

<p>School: Boston College
Year: Freshman
Distance from home: ~2.5 miles
Mode of transportation: Walking and/or public transit</p>

<p>And of course, this is beyond a mere poll, you may also use this thread to talk about commuting to school, how you feel about it, etc. I feel that commuter students are somewhat under-represented here on CC.</p>

<p>school community college
soph
too long espe in traiffic
driving</p>

<p>I know quite a few friends who attend CCs. How’s the commute? You make it seem hellish.</p>

<p>I went to a CC for two years, about a 20 minute commute. It sucked. Especially in winter. It was too long to justify going home between classes, so even when I had a three hour break I was stuck sitting there watching the grass die. Especially appreciated the snow. During finals my freshman year we had a bad blizzard and school wasn’t canceled, and my dad actually had to drive me to school. The whole time I was in my exam he was in the parking lot digging kids out. Now that I live at school I love it when it snows just because it’s so satisfying to be able to walk and not have to worry about getting in an accident.</p>

<p>lol your dad is nice TwistedXKiss. Kind of made me laugh when you wrote “he was in the parking lot digging kids out”. Kind of pictured what it’d look like lol</p>

<p>I’m gonna be a commuter pending whether I get housing or not.</p>

<p>School: University of Maryland, College Park
Year: Freshman
Distance from home: 9 miles
Mode of transportation: Driving (public transit if I can’t get a car)</p>

<p>Driving would be around 25-30 minutes (35 in traffic, although I think I’d be doing a reverse commute since I’d be heading away from any central business districts). Metro would be an hour at best (I’d have to take a bus, then a 20 minute train ride, then wait for another train, then take another 20-25 minute train ride barring any delays, and then take a shuttle from the metro station to school).</p>

<p>It was hilarious. My dad is so skinny and sickly looking that people mistake him for a cancer patient… except for the beer gut. And he always has this super serious look on his face. My friends are all afraid of him. And there he is slipping and sliding trying to push cars out of snow drifts for able-bodied 18 year olds who are too clueless to figure out how to fix it. XD</p>

<p>School: Marshall University, Huntington, WV
Years: Freshman, 1st semester sophomore, 3rd semester senior
Distance: About five miles
Transportation: Car</p>

<p>I commuted for part of college, the other parts I lived in my sorority house. I didn’t mind the drive so much but I hated not being a part of “college life.” Also, most of the people from my HS class went to our local university and I wanted to get as far away from them as possible. It’s more challenging to get involved if you are a commuter, but it is possible. Going Greek worked for me and I recommend it for commuters if they are so inclined - I realize it’s not for everybody. But definitely find something about college that makes it different from high school - don’t be one of those people who just goes to class, then goes to work and never socializes at all.</p>

<p>Home: Off campus apartment away from Fam.
School: University of North Dakota
Year: Freshman
Distance: 2 miles
Mode of Transportation: Bike</p>

<p>School: University of Michigan
Year: Freshman
Distance from home: ~2.5 miles
Mode of transportation: Walking and/or public transit</p>

<p>I copied the OP, and I only needed to change the college…</p>

<p>So, what’s this thread for exactly?</p>

<p>It’s just a poll for commuters, in addition to chit-chat about commuting, etc.</p>

<p>Community college
Year: Sophomore
Distance: 35 minutes
Mode of transportation: car</p>

<p>I really don’t mind the drive to school. Actually, I love it. I love driving and listening to music while I drive, and 35 minues is perfect for a lot of my CDs. Not to mention the scenery is kind of pretty. I always have been able to schedule my classes close together so I’ve been lucky to not have any issues with that.</p>

<p>I considered commuting to a state school when I transfer, but now I don’t think I want to. It would just be too hard to schedule classes, and I don’t want to have to schedule classes based on when I can drive to school.</p>

<p>School: UCSD
Year: Sophomore
Distance from home: ~1 mile 10-20mins
Mode of transportation: City Bus/School Shuttle</p>

<p>Its not that bad. No student loans, my parents cook for me and save money in the long run. They also understand I’m becoming an adult and need freedom. Not a bad set up overall. Sure I wish I had roommates but not that big of a deal to be honest.</p>

<p>School: Temple University
Year: Junior
Distance: ~15 miles
Transit mode: Bike (from home to train station, ~1 mile), train to school</p>

<p>This is my second year commuting and I’m sick of it. I pay my mom a sizable amount in rent every month, no cooked meals or anything like that. I work a good amount but still can’t really make ends meet enough to get my own place.</p>

<p>Edit: After 2.5 years of school I’m definitely regretting not going somewhere a little further away, outside of a commutable distance: say 30 to 40 miles. I would have been forced to find my own place and grow up faster. Unfortunately college isn’t cheap and Temple’s the best I can do.</p>

<p>I am in the same boat as you, Artic. My mother still wakes me up in the morning and still fixes me breakfast - and lunch, if I happen to have an evening class that day.</p>

<p>Commuting isn’t bad in and of itself - I like it, actually. No roommates to deal with, no real laundry to deal with, I can listen to music without headphones, etc. But I don’t have as many friends/social contacts as I would necessarily like to have while enrolled in college, which is the slight downside to commuting.</p>

<p>@cewillm - Damn. I sympathize with you, brother. But, what can one do in such a situation. But, you are junior, so you don’t have that long to wait until you have your degree!</p>

<p>This thread needs a bump. Any more commuters out there?</p>

<p>School: Kent State University
Year: Freshman
Distance: 2.5 miles
Transit mode: Car/public transit</p>

<p>Eh, so far I can say the commuting experience has been less than ideal. I just feel like I’m not making many friends. The only really great thing about goig to a local university is the fact that I do have some close high school friends that also commute and I can share my woes with. Haha. But I do know it’s possible to have a very happy college career as a commuter (or so I’ve been told), so I’m trying to not let a rough first semester get me down. Free room and board is nice though, I must say. Wish I could afford a place of my own…</p>

<p>Local community college
Sophomore
20 miles
Car</p>

<p>I do not live my parents (married 3 kids) but I do commute. It is about a 20 min drive there in the am but longer in the evening. I pretty much spend all day there now, but that is because I also work there. However, when I first started I did not work there and made a ton of friends there. Now that I work there I have made a more friends with the staff and faculty.</p>

<p>Any more…</p>

<p>School: County College of Morris (community college)
Year: freshman
Distance: 20 miles, 45 minute to an hour away from home
Transit mode: car</p>

<p>I drive local roads usually, which is why it takes so long to get there. I still don’t like driving to school. The hardest part is going through downtown Morristown, NJ which can get pretty busy during rush hour. Luckily, this semester, I don’t have any early morning classes or evening classes so I’m satisfied with that.</p>