Since there are no dormitories at Community Colleges, the common denominator for students is commuting. However, each student has their own story as they make their way to classes. 

          Hailey Black lives just five minutes from Bucks County Community College. However, nothing has been easy since she tore her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). “I never really thought about my commute to school because it’s so close,” Hailey said. “Walking to my first class took 15-minutes.” After Hailey tore her ACL getting from class to class became an issue. “Some areas of the school are really hard to get to because of stairs,” Hailey said 

       I understand Hailey’s plight. My sister, Jillian tore her ACL three weeks prior to attending New York’s Pace University. Even though she lived on campus, every day was a challenge since she constantly dealt with a myriad of steps since that’s the norm in Manhattan. However, my sister persevered, just like Hailey. 

         It’s another kind of challenge commuting when living a distance from campus. Darwin Lebron lives 40 minutes from Bucks. “Having a long commute has led me to do more around campus since I have to stay between classes and baseball,” Darwin Lebron said.  

      Darwin has immersed himself in campus culture and has learned to enjoy the commute. “I enjoy listening to music on the way home,” Darwin said. “But sometimes I wish Bucks had dorms.” 

      John Mulder has experienced both sides of the commute, the short and the long drive. Mulder lives close to the Bucks campus. However, he commuted to Penn State Abington during the fall semester. “I would run an errand before the commute just so I wouldn’t be so bored,” Mulder said. 

       Mulder is much happier travelling to Bucks for an obvious reason. “Having a short commute saves me a lot of time and money,” Mulder said. “That has made being a student much easier. Living far away makes it hard to get good attendance in some early classes. I often missed breakfast because of how long I travelled to campus.” 

     However, Mulder figured out how to make his trips easier. “Podcasts really helped making those long rides easier,” Mulder said. 

          A great way to make the most of long commutes is to get to know the campus. Join clubs or play sports. Since you’re on campus you can hang out and make friends. You can familiarize yourself with the library and perhaps finish off your homework while on campus and keep your studies at school. It’s wise to take advantage of what a pretty campus like Bucks has to offer. Why not hike Tyler State Park or perhaps explore campus job opportunities? Investigating what can be accomplished on campus enables a student to get the most of their time in college. 

         The commuter experience has an impact on what is next for the college student. Perhaps a student will decide to attend a school with dorms. For those who grow accustomed to the commuter experience, maybe they will go to a commuter school and stay at home to save money while earning their college degree.