Tips For Commuting Students

By: Andreya Patinha (17)
​  When someone says college, dorms are the first thing that pops up in lot of minds. Living in a dorm is when you can finally get away from your parents, get to live life on your own, go to crowded frat parties, and you can come up with your own rules. But some people like to stay at home. You can shower in your own bathroom, not a shared one. Unless you have younger sibling, no one will steal your food and you can wash your clothes for the price of nothing. There are some cons of not living on campus, like it’s harder to meet people and it’s easy to become out of touch with the campus life. This article is made those who are commuting and want some tips to help them out in the next year.

1. Join Clubs/Get Involved: Getting involved on campus is the best thing you can do. You should join a bunch of clubs. Even if you join one club, you can meet people who have the same interest. It’s super easy to make friends that way. Plus you can meet new people all the time and you will get opportunities that you would have never known about.
2. When driving to school, leave early: No one likes being late, especially when it’s to your college classes. You’re paying a lot of money to be there, might as well show up on time. Traffic is a pain and unpredictable. Always be prepared by leaving early.
3. Don’t be afraid to talk to people: When you live in a dorm it’s like an overnight summer camp, you spend all our time with them. Since you’re not living on campus, it’s harder to meet people. So when you’re classes, the person that you’re sitting next to, start a conversation with them. Even if it’s less than three minutes, now you have someone you can talk to or ask for help.
4. Hang out around campus after your classes: At your college, if you hang out around after you can check out all the spots that everyone hangs out at. Then you can to those spots to study or to meet new people.
5. Use campus resources: Take advances of the library, career center and office hours. Like I said you’re paying a lot of money to be there, use up all the resources you can get.
6. Parking, parking, parking: Before classes start, learn about the parking situation. Can freshmen park on campus? If you can keep a car on campus, where can you park? Do need a parking sticker? Which parking lot will be the best for your schedule. Leave early to get a parking spot. ​