Here, Rebecca, shares her experiences and tips on getting the most out of being a commuting student and how that it does not stop you from having a great time at Uni.

Are you heading to CCCU this September, but instead of staying in Uni accommodation you will be commuting? Are you feeling worried that you will not fit in, or get the most out of your time at CCCU by being a student that commutes? Don’t!! I know easier said than done for someone who has commuted for se3veral years right?

I am speaking from experience as someone who has commuted to and from CCCU, those worries that you may be feeling, I felt exactly like you last year when I started!

However, as someone who has completed my first year at CCCU I can tell you that fitting in is honestly something that you do not need to worry about, more than likely there will be people on the course you are doing that will be feeling that same worry about fitting in regardless of if they are commuting like yourself, or in accommodation. I can honestly tell you that once you meet the other people that are on your course, and the lecturers that will be with you throughout the three years at Uni, or longer (depending on how long your course is), you will automatically feel at ease. You will get to know people over the course of freshers, you will get to know your lecturers, and even then if you are someone who is usually shy in new situations (like myself) you will over time get to know other people on your course (both other students and lecturers).

You will soon realise that the worry you felt about being a student that commutes, and not fitting in because of it was not something that you should have been so worried about. I can guarantee that by the end of freshers, or even before you will find people that you will connect with, and they might be the group of friends that you stay with throughout your time in the first year, or you might find that the more people you start talking to that actually your group of friends that you hang out with most changes.

This is something that I experienced within my first year and I can promise you that just because you are someone who commutes to and from CCCU you will not be alone, you will be okay and you will find your feet. You may even find that Uni ends up feeling like a home away from home, this is definitely something that I felt within my first year as a commuter and absolutely love being on campus, it could be the other students on the course that gives you the feeling of University feeling like a home away from home (or even the lecturers you have).

One of the downsides about being a commuter is just how early you may have to get up for a 9am lecturer so that you are not late, this is something that to begin with I disliked, but after a few weeks of doing it, it became the norm for me and getting up at 5:30am soon became second nature, and in all honesty it really was not that bad once you got to Uni and had a coffee from the Touchdown café in Laud (you will get used to buildings and their names once you start).