Commuter students are as equal if not the same as the student who reside at Cabrini. Several commuters voiced about the daily struggles and benefits of being a commuter. Ultimately, commuters are just as much a part of the campus as residents.
There many advantages and disadvantages of being a commuter.
One advantage is paying essentially half of the tuition price, because you are not paying to live on campus. A second benefit is that you never have to worry about public transportation or relying on friends for rides. Third, you do not have to rely on a meal plan; you can buy groceries for your house and make healthier choices.
Although there are some positives to being a commuter student, there are some disadvantages to not living on campus.
One is that it is easy to become disconnect with the residents on campus when you’re always leaving after a class. Also, it can be frustrating to be stuck sitting in traffic or praying there is parking spot that is not located miles away from your 9:40 a.m. class.
Third, being a commuter can be difficult because sometimes, you have a few hours before your next class and you might have to kill time. As long as you listen to the advice given by the commuter students at Cabrini you out negative with positives.
In a way Cabrini, commuters are exactly like every other student on campus except that they do not have a dorm room to drop off their heavy backpacks, take a nap, do homework or even heat up cup of easy-mac.
Alyssa Massarella, communication and marketing major, is a senior commuter that has been driving back and forth to school since the first time she attended Cabrini.
“I decided to commute because my house is only 15 minutes away from campus and it was the best option for me financially. I have plenty of friends on campus that I hangout with and stay with too, so I really get the best of both worlds,” Massarella said.
The majority of the students commented that they used Jazzman’s cafe as a hangout place to get started on homework assignments and chat with friends to pass the time before class.
“I sit in Jazzman’s or in Founder’s lobby or I’ll hang out in a friends dorm or apartment,” Massarella said. She does not feel like a commuter half the time because she is constantly active in campus activities.
Junior English major Johnny Myers decided to commute his sophomore year of college because he thought it was the better fiscal choice and he wanted to save money in order to pay for his education. He discussed the daily struggles he faces as a commuter.
“The biggest struggle I face being a commuter is hitting traffic on the blue route,” Myers said. “I just listen to music to make it bearable.” Johnny Myers is a leader in the Office of Admissions and Cabrini Theater. He also expressed never feeling like a commuter.
“My advice to commuter student is get involved,” Myers said. “Can’t stress that enough. Getting involved at Cabrini has made my experience worthwhile.”
Kayla Ricker, psychology major and sophomore commuter, decided to commute during the second semester of her freshmen year because she lives so close to campus and wanted to continue working her job from home.
Rucker shared the essential items a commuter should have with them at all time.
“A couple of essentials I bring are headphones and my laptop, so if I don’t have anything else do, I won’t get bored,” Ricker said.
She also said that it is very important to be present on campus to get the full college experience and advised other commuters to build relationships with their peers.
Ricker said, “I spend so much time on campus for my extra curricular activities that sometimes, I don’t even feel like a commuter.”
