When I transferred to Stony Brook University in Spring 2016, none of my local friends were going to the same college, so I had to commute on my own for the entire semester. I live almost an hour away and had classes four days a week which meant that I was spending up to an exhausting 144 hours per semester in travel time alone! Driving to campus and back each day really took a toll on my overall energy and motivation; instead of leaving time for attending office hours or taking part in extracurricular activities or events, I was speed-walking to the Express bus the moment my last class was over so that I could avoid rush hour and go home.
This semester, however, one of my good friends from high school transferred to Stony Brook and he happens to live two blocks away from me. We talked about carpooling, figured out how it would work with our schedules, and started driving each other to campus every other day.
Before I started carpooling, I’d sleep in until the last possible minute, rush to get ready, and often leave for my commute without eating breakfast. This also worked against me when I got to campus; I wouldn’t have time to do much of anything before my first class, so the few minutes I did have were mostly filled with texting and mindless scrolling through social media. Now that I share the responsibility with my friend and his first class is often earlier than mine, I have to be ready to leave over an hour earlier than before. When we get to campus, instead of my usual 20 minutes, I have two hours that I can use to catch up on reading or do some assignments I didn’t have time for the night before! His schedule also keeps me on campus a few hours later than I normally would be, so while he’s in class, I hunker down in the Humanities SINC Site to write essays or work on my German. The difference in my stress levels is what impresses me the most about how I’ve changed in response to carpooling. Two out of the four days I have classes, I don’t have to drive, so the time I would spend focusing on the road and avoiding half-asleep drivers drifting into my lane can be replaced with playing a video game or just relaxing. According to a survey in October 2016, only 10% of Americans carpool and 78% drive to work on their own! Can you image how much less road rage there would be if every driver could be a passenger a few days a week instead? The chance I get to relax because of carpooling has definitely helped me have more energy that I can use to stay focused in class or work hard on my assignments.
Not only do I actually get my work done now, I also feel better about the positive impact I’m making on the earth! South Florida Commuter Services says that by carpooling, we decrease the amount of cars on the roads every day, which reduces the effects of auto pollution and makes the air healthier to breathe! With all of this put together, I can confidently say that carpooling has been one of the most impactful choices I’ve made for myself this semester. Don’t forget the recommendation for six to nine weekly study hours for every three-credit course you have; the extra free time that carpooling can give you really comes in clutch.