Things I Wish I Knew Before College

It’s my senior year I’ve decided to commute for my final year at DePaul. I never planned on being a commuter but after thinking through a lot of factors, I decided to commute. It’s only week 3 and I’m still getting used to this lifestyle. It still feels weird after living near/on campus for the past 3 years having to think about the fact that I have to go home in the suburbs after a long day of class or work.

To begin, deciding to commute was a choice I wanted to make. I’ve had a lot of fun living in the city over the past few years and I’m honestly waiting for the right time for me to move back. I really wanted to save up money for some future expenses. Renting is expensive and in my opinion worth it for the experiences that come along with that, but I think I had experienced enough. 

I’ve learned to manage my time even more since I am commuting. There are more factors I need to look at when deciding when to leave my house. I have to wake up extra early to beat traffic which can be frustrating, but I’ve made some great playlists to make driving more bearable- and it really works. Or if I’m taking the Metra, I really have to plan out my time because I don’t want to miss a train since those don’t run too often. Also, so many people commute and It’s nice being able to carpool with friends once in a while which makes commuting fun and environmentally friendly.

Even though I’m saving so much money a month by not renting a place, you would think I would ball out on many other things… wrong. I’ve learned to be even more smart about my spending and think twice when I want to buy things that I don’t really need. 

 My favorite part about commuting is the ability to be with my family whenever I   want.  I love not having to miss family events. And although I love doing things by   myself, like  cooking- it’s so nice to come home to my mom’s cooking.

 Although I haven’t been commuting for that long, I don’t find it too bad. I’ve been   learning a lot from it. I thought that I was a responsible person before, but   commuting   has added on some more responsibilities and skills I didn’t have   before.

– Richa Patel