The Plight of a Commuter

By Ifeanyi Onwumah

Commuting is an aspect of college life that takes away from the glorified “college experience.” A lot of students chose to stay on-campus or rent apartments close to their university so they can maximize their time at school.

SXU is a great university for such students as it offers a wide range of activities to keep busy throughout each semester, ranging from student organization-sponsored activities, various lecture series, film screenings, educational and/or recreational trips, on-campus parties, community service activities, etc. As a Saint Xavier student, you would be lying if you said that you can’t find something to do outside of the classroom or that you have no social inclinations; there is something available for every student, no matter your interests.

However, the dynamics of participating in these activities is different for commuters, especially those who don’t own cars. Traveling to and from the campus cuts deeply into your ability to delve into the campus scenery. It also gets worse if you live 30 minutes or more away from the University. Commuting puts a limit on how much you take advantage of the learning environment at Saint Xavier and how many people you can get to know on campus (I bet any campus resident has more friends or acquaintances than any commuter!).

A commuter must consider travel time so they can get to class and make it home on time. (more than likely, NO NIGHT CLASSES!). They also have to factor in studying during the week, because no matter how much you want to expand your social life, your education is the primary reason why you are in college so it should always come first.

This issue concerns me a lot because I am a commuter. As mentioned in previous blogs, it is the reason why I couldn’t spread my wings my freshman year. Things have changed slightly this year due to my strict time management but they can still be better. If I stayed on campus I would be doing a lot better than I am right now, socially and academically.

Ifeanyi Onwumah is a sophomore philosophy major from South Holland. He participates in several campus clubs. Consideration for the student bloggers is provided by Saint Xavier University.