Are You Commuting This Fall?

By Sierra Schuette
Web Content Contributor

*KTSW consists of and respects varying opinions within its staff. Opinion articles do not reflect the opinion of KTSW as a whole.

Being a commuter is hard. Sometimes it really sucks, but you may have no choice. I was once a commuter, driving 45 minutes down long dark backroads from Canyon Lake to San Marcos, getting held up by a train, then struggling to find parking. So for all of you who are going to have to wake up at 6 a.m. and drive 30 minutes to 2 hours (perhaps with Austin traffic), I have gathered my best tips to share with you.

• Schedule your classes judiciously. You do not want an awkward three hour gap between two classes to do nothing. Schedule your classes early in the morning with 10-30 minutes in between each.
• Give yourself a lunch break. Decide what time you would like to sit and ingest brain food and give yourself an hour or two between two classes. Or if possible schedule all of your classes before lunch time.
• Bring snacks! If you are anything like me, you are hungry almost every hour. Skip the on campus dining halls and convenience stores, they are great for those who live on campus but expensive for those who do not.
• Try to find someone to carpool with. If you can do this, you can split the cost of those overpriced parking passes and split mileage between cars. You are allowed by Texas State to move the pass between cars, so go for it!
• Leave an hour earlier than you think you should. Trains, Starbucks stops, cops, traffic, etc, enough said.
• Use your time wisely! If you have 30 minutes between classes, use the time to finish schoolwork not browse Instagram.
• Drive safely! I cannot express this enough. If you are driving for a long period of time every day of the week, you cannot get too comfortable. Stop texting and driving, drive the speed limit, and do not drive when you are exhausted. Grab some coffee before you get in the car with droopy eyes.

I hope you found these tips helpful. Good luck this semester Bobcats! I hope no one gets a parking ticket and you find a way to make commuting a little less of a chore.