Over 3,000 students attend Shawnee State University every semester. While some of these students live in the apartments located on campus, many of them live at home and commute to campus. 

Marissa Trowbridge, a psychology major, transferred to SSU this year.

“I drive myself by car,” she said. “It takes about 25 minutes.”

Trowbridge relies on herself to get to and from class and is in charge of her own daily agenda. If she didn’t have a car, she said she “would try to complete what I could fully online.” 

At Trowbridge’s previous university, Morehead State University, she lived in their campus dorms.

“Living in a dorm was so much easier and less stressful than commuting,” she said. “The longest walking distance to class I ever had was about 10 minutes.”

She added that living on campus had also saved time and money on gas. 

Not everyone who commutes can drive themselves, though. 

“It takes about 30 minutes to get here every day unless there’s traffic,” said Emily Pitts, a sophomore who majors in art education. “My mom drives me in the morning and my stepdad usually takes me home.”

If her parents aren’t available, Pitts said she usually asks other people for rides. If she couldn’t find someone to get her to class, she said she didn’t know what she would do.

“Freshman year I lived on campus and it was so much easier,” she said.

At that point, she felt like she was in charge of her own schedule and “felt more responsible.” She added that she wishes she could drive herself or just go back to living on campus.

“I would feel more responsible for myself, more reliable,” she said.

Commuting is a reliable way to campus for most students, but it is not for everyone. This poses an important question. If someone is struggling with being a commuter what can they do? There are some solutions to this issue. 

If a commuter student is in a situation where they cannot drive themselves, they can request a ride from someone else. They might carpool with a friend or fellow student, ask for a ride from a family member or even use a form of public transportation. These are all routes that students can take. 

In some situations, this is only a temporary fix. As Pitts mentioned, she can’t always rely on someone to bring her to campus. One way to resolve the problem is to live on campus in one of SSU’s apartments. While it is required for those who live over 25 miles away from SSU, it is also an option for anyone who lives closer.

If you commute to campus, you may experience challenges, but there are many paths available to you in the end.