A commuter student catches up on homework in a commuter lounge at Chestnut Hill College (Photo by Corin Pauls)

by Corin Pauls

William Johnson, a senior at Chestnut Hill College, was once a commuter student from Sharon Hill, where he took two buses and a train each way to get to school and back home. Currently, he’s an RA (resident assistant), but he still looks back at his time as a commuter.

“Often times, I only had 2-3 hours of sleep,” said Johnson, who commuted during his sophomore year. “I wouldn’t get home until 12-1 a.m., wouldn’t get to sleep until 2 a.m., and I had to get back up at 6 a.m. to leave for the day.

“It was also detrimental to my health because I was not sleeping and eating, and I was under constant stress every day.”

Johnson’s story is just one of the countless stories of college’s silent majority: the commuter students. According to Complete College America, 75 percent of college students are commuter students, making them the majority compared to the 25 percent of college students that are full-time at residential colleges.

With the continual travel from home to class and vice-versa, to the late nights on campus, being a commuter student is not an easy task. Usually students have to plan out their day ahead of time including work, clubs and other commitments, leaving little to no margin for error.

At Chestnut Hill College, there are around 350 commuters out of the 800 undergraduates on campus, and at Arcadia University, there are approximately 750-900 commuters out of the 1,200-1,500 students on campus.

Time management seemed to be an ongoing theme of difficulty.

“I stayed on campus as late as 3 o’ clock in the morning,” said Jimmy Jesberger, a 22-year-old senior from Arcadia. “I can’t always stay and I miss out on different types of events.”

“I have to commute 30 minutes to an hour every day,” said Chelsea Wilf, 20, another Arcadia student. “You’re more isolated.”

Nick Barnes, a sophomore transfer from Pace University in New York to Arcadia, also has had an adjustment in his first semester.

“With a 6 o’clock wake up, it becomes stressful at times,” he said.

While being a commuter student can be a daunting task, it helps students with their planning, and it helps some get a head start on their days. Also, as the semester goes on, commuting becomes easier, as it gets students into a comfortable, daily rhythm.

“I plan a lot, so it gives me promise, and it gives me more time to do things,” Wilf said.

The best argument for commuting is the amount of money students save. At Chestnut Hill College, commuter students save roughly $11,000 a year, and at Arcadia University, the estimated saving is around $13,500 a year. These figures illustrate how cost-effective the commute is and how beneficial it is down the road.

To help soften the blow of being a commuter student, both of these schools have their own programs for commuter students. While a lot of schools have resident assistants for the students that stay in the dormitories, both of these schools have commuter assistants, or CAs for short. Also, both schools have their own commuter lounge.

“I took over at Arcadia two years ago,” said Nick Kirkstadt, Area Coordinator. “$500,000 has gone to the commuter lounge place for students to hang, have a quiet study area, kitchen and more. We also do programming throughout the semester, involving physical and emotional health.”

Also at Arcadia, there is the Gateway Program, which provides “programming resources for students beginning as early as the summer session before freshman year.”

“The students live on campus, take classes and almost everything that a typical residential college student does,” Wilf said.

At Chestnut Hill College, a Commuter Assistant Program was launched at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year. This program is used to monitor commuter students’ progress throughout the school year.

“It was needed to help create a system where the commuter student received a mentor for assistance,” said Johnson, who played an integral part in planning the program.

“We’re in the process of adding meal plans for commuters,” said Dr. Krista Murphy, dean of student life at Chestnut Hill College. “We are also trying to make the commuter lounge more welcoming.”

Despite the difficulties that present themselves for prospective commuter students, the message was this: make college worthwhile.

“College is how you make it,” Jesberger said. “Go do the things you want. Try to stay on campus and don’t be afraid to take risks.”

“Use the resource of the commuter assistant,“ Murphy said. “When we offer events, they are open to the whole school. We hope to do a good job making students feel welcome.”

“Know your limits, but don’t sell yourself short,” Johnson said. “Plan your day, as it becomes less stressful, and become friends with residents.”