We are the superheroes who wander incognito among you; we are the commuter students. It takes a special sort of person to be a commuter, not everyone is up to the task. For one thing off campus housing is a requirement. This means – no waking up at 8:25 for an 8:30 class, no use of the residence cafe unless you either shell out ten bucks for lunch or fifteen for dinner (off-campus meal plans excluded) and no attending class in flip flops, shorts or pjs when it’s minus 20 outside.
Commuters are a different breed of student. They brave the OC Transpo, the highway or the long sidewalks of Ottawa all in order to reach Carleton. Most of these routes are understandably under construction according to city hall and force commuters to not only be awake enough to navigate at 6:00 in the morning but have knowledge of every road around them in order to divert traffic jams and make use of detours.
I’ve been a commuter since I was five years old. I commuted half an hour to my elementary school every morning because my parents would drop me off early so that they could be on time for work. It was a vicious cycle that resulted in me assuming that 6:00 am is a justifiable wake up time and that anything past 6:15 is sleeping in.
When I made the switch from high school to university I was not entirely sure what to expect. My high school commute had shortened to five minutes by car and since my parents had retired getting to and from places had not been an issue. Carleton; however, felt a million miles away from where I live in a growing suburb outside of Ottawa.
Now my alarm is set for 5:30am on days when my classes begin at 8:30am just in case of traffic, an accident or another sink hole that would prevent me from reaching class on time. I have to hand it to my folks, my dad in particular, who has been kind enough to pick me up from events that go until 11:00pm or later – no one wants to be busing that late.
I chose Carleton for many different reasons, my program, the professors, the campus – but I did not chose it for the commute, it simply came with the rest of the package. This past summer I spent several hours learning which bus to take where, when to get off and which bus to transfer to – all in preparation for the fall. Looking back on these past three months I’ve created a pros/cons list to being a C-Student:
Pros and
Cons
Separation: As much as I’d love to live on res close to everyone else I like having my own space removed from campus life. It reminds me that there is more to life than university.
Socialization: Now, this is a double edged sword because I consider myself quite social despite my commuter status. However, my friends in res say that there is something special about “the res experience” that I will never understand.
Support: I live with my parents who have been there for me throughout my adjustment to first year. They make me food when they know I’m coming home and they’re always there to talk to – I’m glad they’re not miles away.
Independence: This too is a controversial point because my independence factor has increased since beginning university. Nevertheless, it is true that res kids do not really have anyone to check in with or anyone to hold themselves accountable to – except themselves.
Time: Commuting does cut into your time – for everything. Every activity you participate in requires a factored in commuting estimate so you may have to cut down time spent with friends or at the library because buses do not run after a certain time.
Time: You have all the time in the world because you live right next door to your classes, the cafeteria and your room, with your bed, and fridge. But your time management can suffer as a result. You can either become super organized or super stressed in residence.
I’m proud of being a commuter student – it’s part of who I am. It has helped me become adaptable, creative and organized. Commuting is not always all it’s cracked up to be but I would not trade those bus rides with friends, those car rides with my parents for anything. Those memories cannot replaced by a few more hours of sleep or wearing pjs to class.