“Oh, so you commute?” is usually the typical response I get when asked where I live. Some might expect me to say VDC, Camino, Puerta or other off-campus housing names, but I am amongst the pool of Anteaters who commute to school.
What is it like being a student commuter you may ask? Being a student commuter is actually a big deal. For one, our social and academic lives are easily affected. But despite the disadvantages, we have our advantages: like our mothers’ amazing home-cooked meals, the money we save living at home, no roommates, and oh, did I mention amazing home-cooked meals?
Commuting should not be as dreadful as it sounds. I have made a list of tips and tricks to help commuters ease their transition through their college career.
Commuting Tips and Tricks:
1. Sleep well. I cannot stress this anymore. During midterms and finals, sleeping is very important for all students. It is pivotal for commuters to be well rested because nothing is worse than faintly falling asleep behind the wheel or spacing out in traffic due to lack of sleep.
2. Do not text and drive. You will see people in other cars do it, but do not fall into temptations. A text can wait.
3. Eat breakfast. You might have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day: it’s definitely true. As a commuter, making sure you have something in your belly will help you feel better. Munching on fruit(s) during the commute can also keep you awake and going.
4. Pick your clothes the night before. This sounds silly, but it helps save time in the morning.
5. Pack your backpack and other items you HAVE to take with you to school. I have experienced forgetting essential things at home just because I had packed the morning of in a rush. Do your best to avoid this. Being prepared in the morning puts you at an advantage.
6. Keep up with maintenance checks on your car to make sure it is in good condition. Our car is essential to our commute. Treat it well and it will do the same for you.
7. Find alternate routes to get to your destinations. There is a big chance that one day there will be a big accident, thus causing heavy traffic or a freeway closure. Whatever it is, it is always important to have a backup plan identified ahead of time.
8. Make friends/reliable acquaintances towards the beginning of the quarter. These people will help a lot when midterm and finals roll around because they’ll be able to share notes with you and fill you in on things you missed.
9. Fill up gas on time. Not letting the gas pump signal show up on your dashboard telling you to get gas ASAP can reduce being rushed the morning of your commute.
10. Plan for the worse. Give yourself enough time for every possible thing that can go wrong (ie. extra time to find parking, traffic delays, unexpected detours, car problems, cancelled class, etc.)
If you are a commuter, know that you are not alone. It takes some time to get used to, but don’t worry because before you know it, you might just start your own karaoke singing session on your way to school. #youcandoit #zotzotzot