I always knew I wanted to commute. It was a default for me. Living 30 minutes away from campus, I assumed commuting would be a piece of cake. In some ways it is, but in certain circumstances, it can be quite the opposite.
Commuters are defined by Ohio University as students who live within a “50-mile driving radius” of campus, measured from Baker Center, 1 Park Place. While that can be a pretty vague description, commuting can look different for everyone. Commuting in college is traditionally seen as uncommon, but commuters are currently about 85% of college students.
There are plenty of upsides and downsides to every situation you can find yourself in during college. Living on campus comes with a whole lot of downsides and upsides and so does commuting.
Living off campus can be wildly inconvenient. For example, this semester I have a 9:30 a.m. lecture. Instead of getting up 10 minutes before class and booking it to Schoonover Center, I set my alarm for 7:30 a.m. so I have time to get ready and make the 30-minute commute.
For students who live in dorms, this may sound unbearable. However, it’s nice to get an early start on my day and it prevents me from falling asleep mid-lecture. I’m able to have a solid morning routine and I never feel rushed. It can be hard some days because I wouldn’t consider myself a morning person, but I have found myself really enjoying waking up early.
Joining organizations and being involved on campus can be difficult, too. Many clubs or organizations meet late in the afternoon, and unless I want to stay on campus for 10 hours, I have to make two trips. This makes it annoying to try to get involved on campus but I still push myself to do it. Joining clubs and organizations is incredibly important as it leads to more positive outcomes, like increases in multicultural awareness and leadership skills, and I found myself enjoying the college experience a lot more once I got involved. Many organizations are very accommodating and are easy to do remotely, it can just take some time to find the right organizations for a commuting lifestyle.
Maintaining close friendships can also be hard because it is easy to be left out of hangouts. After all, you live far away. Texting and FaceTime are always an option but it still feels distant when you could be having fun on campus. Still, taking the extra step of driving to campus later in the day is ultimately worth it when you’re able to have fun with your friends.
Even after all the downsides, I can still confidently say that commuting is worth it.
One major upside of commuting, and one of the main reasons I chose this path, was that its cheaper. Sure, I am spending money on gas every week but $35 a week is nothing compared to the thousands I’d be spending on room and board. Tuition at OU costs $13,746, and when combined with the cost of room and board and a meal plan, it costs a total of $26,574 for an in-state student before financial aid. That's a lot of money. Leaving college with minimal debt is ideal for me, so commuting saves me thousands of dollars. Sure, I’m missing out on the “traditional college experience” but personally, I’d rather save money now.
This might be a personal preference, but I treat college like a job. I come to class, I stay after a few hours to do my work, then I go home. When I do this, I never take any homework home with me and I’m able to separate my home life from my college life. That’s not to say I don’t have any fun on campus, but the majority of the time I treat my campus time as just a part of my life. If I lived on campus, my entire life would be centered around college. While that’s not always a bad thing, I personally would feel trapped.
I remember cringing at the idea of sharing a bathroom or small living space, and by commuting I can completely avoid that. I have free food, I can do my laundry whenever and I don’t have to worry about noisy neighbors. For me, living in a dorm would be an absolute nightmare, and considering I only live 30 minutes away, I’d be at home most of the time anyway. Spending a ton of money on a dorm just seems wasteful to me.
While commuting is amazing for me, I’m aware that not everyone has the privilege of being able to live at home. However, if you live under an hour away from campus, try commuting next year. It can be a big adjustment but it can also be beneficial. Commuting can be looked down upon and judged — I’ve experienced a fair amount of it — but if it works for you, embrace it. Everyone’s college experience looks different and those differences should be celebrated no matter what.
Haylee Leasure is a sophomore studying journalism. Please note that the opinions expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk about the column? Email Haylee at hl125421@ohio.edu.
