College is supposed to be the best time of your life: meeting new people, lifelong-friendships, on-campus events, networking, etc. However, it’s tough enough to be on a new campus especially if you’re a transfer student who doesn’t live on campus.

As a commuting college transfer myself, you may feel intimidated by the new culture or environment that you have to absorb. You might even find yourself feeling alone and left out. If you deal with any of this, there are ways to help manage these feelings. In this guide, we will look through some key questions that transfer students typically have. We will look even deeper into those who commute on top of being a transfer. Finally, we will explore ways that are best suitable for you so that feel more comfortable with your unique college experience.

Why do Transfer Students Commute?

Firstly, what is a commuter student? A commuter student is either a full-time or part-time student who does don’t live on or near campus. According to the Inside Higher Education, commuters “make up more than 85 percent of today’s college students.” Transfer students have their reasons why they decide to commute, and one main reason is due to financial reason. Students who typically take at least 20 to 30 minutest get to campus, may consider commuting rather than living in campus.

Financial Challenges

Tuition is heavy on one’s wallet. With the high cost of college many students opt on commuting to campus, rather than living in a dorm room, this a smart financial decision to make. According to Inside Higher Education, “At public four-year institutions students living on campus pay an average of $11,520 annually for a room and board off campus boarders pay $11,365.”  If your able to commute to campus, you’ll be saving thousands of dollars by doing so. Though commuting may feel isolating, and you may struggle on connecting with on-campus and other typical college life activities. However, it's very much possible to have a great college experience as a commuter. You are just going to have to put more time and effort compared to your residential counter parts.

Loneliness Among College Transfer Students

Loneliness is defined as “a situation in which a person experiences a subjective deficiency of social relationships in a quantitative or qualitative way”. Typically, those who go to college expect to make lifelong friendships. Though, that's not the case for many college students. According to a study completed by a group of researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, 71% adolescents and young adults have experienced loneliness.

Transfer students as well as commuting students have a harder time connecting with their peers, especially those who started off in the institution since their freshman or sophomore year. Mayo Clinic’s article  Friendships: Enrich your life and improve your health emphasis that “Many adults find it hard to develop new friendships or keep up existing friendships”. Since many people start their college journey later than others, it's understandable that many will have a harder time connecting with their peers. Rimicks stated that, “Starting at a new school can be a scary time, especially if you don’t know anyone when your transfer in. There is definitely a learning curve when starting somewhere new. You have to learn new lingo, a whole new campus, and so many other things.” We all struggle with adapting to a new school but know there are ways to get adjusted as well meeting other students who maybe feeling the same way as you or perhaps share similar interests. You just got to find them.  

College transfers begin to question on why they can’t make friends or why they can’t make a connection stick when they talk to people in their classes. But note that anyone can have the sense of feeling of being lonely. You could have many friends on campus and still have that feeling of being lonely. Jazmine Hernandez, a junior in Benedictine University, states that “the only time I felt lonely as a transfer student was during the first weeks of my first semester at Benedictine University. The friends that I knew at College of DuPage who transferred to then you had different schedules, so I often felt lonely during my classes.” It's okay if your struggling but you’ll eventually bounce back

Stay Productive

I know there are some challenges that come with commuting to campus which do affect transfers from engaging on campus life or activities compared to their residential counterparts. Transfer students who live on campus have it much easier way to build relationships and attend on campus activities and events freely without the worry of driving back home. But don’t let this impact your academic life. Act and be organized with how you manage your time as well as being on top of course assignments and projects.

Commuting students typically tend to stay on campus more due to the amount of time it takes to travel from in between their home and classes. Mindy Diaz Director of Academic Success and Support Programs at North Central College offers commuters to “find their study space on campus and budget time to get school work done.” This is a way for students to be productive while on campus with the large gaps students may have in their schedule. A student can hold themselves accountable to get their work done without the distractions they get at home, as well as allowing yourself to feel a part of the campus community. This is great insight because many college students live with big families and it’s a difficult to find a quiet place at home so many commuters appreciate going to campus to study or to finish up any assignments.

Transfer commuters have more trouble balancing their academic responsibilities since they must get accustomed to the new campus and where everything is. Rebecca Rimicks a Senior Transfer Admissions Counselor at North Central College mentioned that commuting students should keep themselves organized as well as prioritizing ones to do list. She says, “things like calendars and planners can be great resources when trying to balance everything. Planning ahead is also a great tool. Figuring out how long it takes to get to campus and when you need to be there can help when planning out the rest of your day.” Know that you are responsible for keeping track of your grades and your course assignments which makes having a calendar or planner essential as well as helpful as a commuter. I always keep track of what’s due that week and as well as write down important dates and projects. I also check how long it might take me to get to campus, but I always leave an hour early to avoid potential traffic, as well as finding a parking spot on campus.

Ways to Stay Connected on Campus

It can be difficult to put yourself out there and start socializing with others when you're a transfer student, but there are still many ways to make connections and have the college experience excluding the drinking and the partying that comes with the college experience.

Join a Club

Every college campus has many student organizations made up of academic, political, religious, cultural, and hobby clubs. These types of clubs focus on a wide range of topics that almost any student may find a club that they will enjoy. You can check out your college’s official website to see the full list of clubs that they offer. If one sounds interesting to you, do not hesitate to check it out or even join. You will be meeting plenty of people who share similar interests to you. Even if the club is not aligned with your major it is a wonderful opportunity to check out the club and potential form new connections and friends who are not particularly studying the same care path as you. It is beneficial since you are still connecting with other students on campus. You can also join your college’s sports team and their band if that is what you are most interested in.