As a college student, any form of transportation is ridiculously expensive. Why? Because I literally have $2 to my name until the day I finally graduate. What’s worse is the second you think you have a handle on your budget, the prices go up and, once again, you have to plan out your expenses from square one. There’s also the stress of planning out a schedule, especially in the morning, a route to take, and, to add to all of that, your class schedule has to somewhat make sense, so that you have enough time to catch the train home. If that isn’t enough, sometimes I end up sharing a seat with someone who may have missed a shower in their morning routine. If not that, there’s always someone who shares a little too much information with surrounding passengers while talking to someone on the other end of their cell phone. Sounds like a blast, right?
So, why did I choose to commute over living on campus? I could have just driven to campus every day, but is it really worth it? The easy answer, no.
Like I said, commuting is expensive, but not as expensive as the alternative. There are many opportunities for commuter students that do not involve the use of money, or at least less money. For example, living in a dorm is so easy; you wake up get dressed and head out the door to school. The drawback here is that it is expensive to live on campus, but it’s also more expensive to feed yourself on campus. As a commuter student, you have to trudge through the unpredictable weather some days, but at least you have food waiting for you at home. You could pay for parking and drive to school daily, but to be honest, as expensive as bus and train fare may seem, it’s better than having to pay for the parking spot at school, for gas, and of course, insurance. It seems like a lot more work than it’s worth to just hop on the train. Yes, paying for my transportation is a pain, but I am saving a few extra bucks wherever I can to help with other monthly expenses that I am, unfortunately, forced to pay.
That being said, commuting to school is definitely an option to look into, it’s easier, cheaper, and sometimes even faster.
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