Your Guide to Living Off-Campus

Being a commuter has a lot of benefits. You are finally free from your RA’s, you can eat the food you want to eat, and you can throw awesome parties. But being so far from school can sometimes be a burden. Here are 5 simple tips and tricks to make those long days away from home a bit easier.

1. The main issue for commuters is being tired without any place to take a quick cat nap. Fortunately, there are a couple of places on campus that you can get a little bit of public shut eye without any judgment. Try going to the quiet room in Piano Row right across from The Max. Since the word “quiet” is in the name, it is already the perfect place to catch up on some zzz’s. Another place you can try is the Cultural Center in the lower level of Piano Row. This room is the home of all the multicultural organizations, but if there isn’t a meeting going on it’s a great place to relax. It’s also a good place to meet new people! There isn’t any cell phone service down there, so it’s also helpful for when you want to be off the grid for a little bit.
2. In the same vein, being so tired can also be a problem during long four-hour classes. A smart way to keep from dozing off is to pack some sour hard candies in your bag. They are super helpful for warding off those heavy eyelids. Just pop one in your mouth whenever you feel yourself slipping into dreamland and you get an instant tangy jolt to wake you up! 
3. A little known secret for off campus Emerson students is the fact the Emerson offers off campus lockers in the lower level of Piano Row. It only costs ten dollars to rent it out for the entire semester! Having a locker can be super handy if you are constantly lugging around a lot of heavy bags, and you seriously can’t beat the price! 
4. Since off campus students no longer live only a few seconds away from their classes, this means there can be a lot of down time to fill in between your first class and your last. This is why it can be helpful to know your friends’ schedules. Know which friends are on campus at which times and it could save you a lot of lonely time in the library!
5. Again, there will be a lot of extra time spent in the library for off campus students. This is why it may be smart to hold off on buying your textbooks this year. The library has every textbook on reserve, so this may be a good opportunity to save some money and just use the book during your free library time! This could save you hundreds of dollars and give you something productive to do other than refresh your Facebook newsfeed.