I couldn’t believe my eyes. There are colleges that have approximately 85-100% of students who are college commuters!
Now I know what you could be thinking. Yeah there are tons of colleges out there that have students who are 100% college commuters; they’re called community colleges.
That’s true…
But I have never heard of a college where it’s not a community college and it still has over 85% or more of the students being commuters.
It sounds crazy right? Especially with the amount of regard college commuters seem to get.
91% students at the University of Massachusetts at Boston are college commuters. Along with 96% at Berkeley College in New York, New York. The list goes on and on….
To me these are some pretty big schools with even bigger commuter numbers than I ever expected. Maybe it’s because of college costs these days. Room and board can get pretty expensive on top of tuition, books, and everything else that sort of sneaks it’s way into our bills; I’m talking about YOU gym fee! So maybe more students are opting for a commuter option. Welcome to the dark side haha.
So with more colleges having a bigger number of students who are commuters, where is the recognition we deserve? Where are the changes to help accommodate us?
Where is the love am I right?
Of course I can’t speak for every colleges’ stance on their commuters. I’m sure there are some schools who really do take the time to accommodate and try to do what’s best for their commuters. Hopefully UMASS Boston and Berkeley College are some of them. But for the majority of what I’ve seen and heard, commuters tend to be overlooked most of the time. Which is why I ask, “If we’re giving you an approximately 100% commuter student body, then where’s your 100% dedication to us commuters?”
Even if the student body was under 50% as commuters (like my school where the commuter population is 40%) we still should be taken into account, more than we already are or even if we are. We are a part of the school just like everyone else.
The focus should not just be about student parking or finding the best ways to get to the school, but finding ways to have commuters connect more with their fellow college-goers, getting them involved, helping them with their mental heath, etc etc.
So I want to know… Do you think your college gives you and your fellow commuters their 100% because if not I don’t think you’re getting your money’s worth or what you deserve.
Committing to the Commute 