By Jennifer Malti
Staff Writer
The life of a commuter can be really easy or really difficult. Commuting has its pros and cons. You’re able to go to school and come home rather than living at school. The hardest part of your day is just making sure that you get up in time to leave and drive to school. This becomes much harder when you don’t own a vehicle.
I am a freshman commuter traveling from Jersey City to FDU without a car. My routine when it comes to getting to school, is different than the average commuter. I live 40 minutes from FDU and I rely on public transportation and sometimes my mom and dad to get me there.
If I am getting a ride from my mom or dad, then I wake up around 8:00 A.M to leave my house at 9:00 A.M, just to get to my class at 10:00 A.M. If I’m taking public transportation, then I have to get up at around 6:00 A.M and leave my house at 7:00 A.M just to make my 10 A.M on time. I use the light rail system in my city and then afterwards I take the bus to FDU.
This becomes even harder if the weather is bad, because then I have to get up even earlier than someone who lived on campus or even just closer to the school.
Another difficulty that comes with being a commuter, is that it is hard to get involved. Commuter students usually go to school and then they go home. A commuter has to factor in the time they have to commute into their day. I have to look around to see what I’m interested in but, also take into account what works best with my time in the day.
To help find activities to get involved in look for flyers at things you’re interested in that help fit in with your schedule. You can even go to the commuters lounge located in the fitness center and you’ll find fellow commuter’s that go through what you are going through.
At the end of the day, my life as a commuter is what it is. It has its positives and its negatives. I come back to the comfort of my room every day and my home. Sometimes it is a struggle but once you get involved and meet other people that you can relate to, life as a commuter can become interesting and fun.
