5 Ways College Commuter Students Stay Connected To Campus

By Elana Goodwin on May 19, 2014

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For commuter students, those connections may be harder to make. So how can a college commuter student stay connected to their campus? 

Unfortunately for commuters, many of the social connections students make are through living on campus in dorms as residence halls are an environment where students interact daily with other students outside of a classroom. However, there are many other ways a college student who commutes to school can still make connections to other students and their campus.

1. One of the best ways to stay connected to campus and meet other students is to get involved in a student club or organization. Most student clubs or organizations hold weekly meetings in the evening which should enable commuters to attend after classes before they head home for the day.

Joining a group and going to its meetings will open up opportunities for commuters to meet other students and to stay involved in events and other things happening on campus. Most colleges have a long list of campus groups from a cappella groups and intramurals to environmental justice supporters and animal lover clubs and more.

Simply looking through your college’s offerings and finding out what interests you and when the club meets are easy steps to take and require minimal efforts. For commuter students especially, getting involved with some kind of club or group on campus can make a huge difference in feeling connected to the campus and making connections with students.

2. A second way to get involved on campus is to find an on-campus job or volunteer on campus. Working on campus in some capacity would allow a commuter student to stay on the college’s campus for longer hours and give the commuter more time to interact with students, too.

Plus, having a job will help fill your pockets with more money to pay for your gas as you commute to campus or allow you more flexibility to go engage in activities with other students, like concerts, barhopping, movies and more. Volunteering on campus would also give commuters more opportunities to meet other students and stay connected to the campus and what’s going on there.

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3. For college students who commute to bigger universities, a great way to feel connected to your school and campus is to go to a sporting event. The camaraderie and shared school spirit felt as you and your fellow students cheer on your school’s team will strengthen your connection and love for your school.

Going to a football, basketball, or some other game can also help pave the way for commuter students to interact with other students and serve as a topic of conversation as you and your peers watch the game and bond.

4. Another way to stay connected to campus and make connections based on shared academic pursuits is to form or join a study group. Invite other students from your class to meet once a week or so, or maybe just around testing times, at a place on campus, like the library, or a nearby locale, like a Starbucks.

Study groups will typically attract students who take their studies seriously or who need more help with the class and they create an opportunity to get to know other students in a more intimate group setting outside of the classroom. For commuter students, this is a chance to get to know classmates better and forge stronger relationships with them and seeing them in class a few times a week will help commuters to keep up with them, too. Introduce yourself to the other members of the study group and get to know them before getting down to the actual studying and reviewing of class material.

Photo Credit: Randolph-Macon College

5. One last way to stay connected to campus as a commuter student is to look into whether your school has some sort of website or support for students who live off-campus, and more specifically, for commuters. Many schools have a separate off-campus living website that may have links for commuter students and a lot of colleges also have a club or designated events for commuter students to get them more involved and feeling connected to the campus.

Explore your school’s website or ask your school’s student center or front desk on how to find out information about events or organizations devoted to commuter students and their experiences on campus. Going to these commuter-oriented events or joining a commuter student group will allow commuter students to find other students in the same boat and bond over this shared fact as well as allow commuters to find a way to stay connected to campus with others like them.

Commuting to college doesn’t have to limit your relationships with other students or to your campus. Look into the different opportunities and options listed above to help you get more involved at your university and make connections.

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