commuting to school

[Linette Ocegueda 3D]

I was wondering if there were any commuters out there and how their day normally looks like when going to school and how they plan out their schedules to make everything fit. I drive about an hour and a half to school (to and from) every day and was wondering to get some insight as to how they manage classes, work, clubs, etc.

[Chem_Mod]

Hi Linette,

I am not a commuter myself, but I have some friends who commute to school. I believe there is a resource space at John Wooden Center for commuters and a GroupMe called "Carpooling UCLA," if you are interested in finding others to commute with to help with transportation costs/times. I would assume that there are students in that chat who can provide tips/insights on commuting to school and managing a work/life balance.

As a general advice, I would try to take advantage of virtual office hours and tutoring services for additional support off-campus. Speak to club board members about commuting so they can help you participate in club activities in different forms (e.g., Zooming in).

Hope that helps!

[305568482]

I was a commuter last year and what I would do was try and stay at Powell or kerckhoff and do work until traffic died down a bit, it was helpful because I'd have little to do when I would get home. It helps relieve some of the stress while on the rode. Also I recommend studying along with friends at their dorms or apt to pass the time so traffic can go down.

[Chem_Mod]

Hi Linette,

I'm a commuter and my drive is also about 1.5 hours each way, so I totally understand your situation. When I try to make my schedule, I try to compact all my classes/discussions into a couple days and try to not take afternoon classes, though I understand that class schedules are not always up to us. If you are staying at school for the day, I recommend studying in Powell until about 7 so that you don't run into bad traffic. It can be hard to attend TAs' office hours if you are not at school for that time, and in my experience TAs are usually open to meeting on zoom when I have emailed them. Also as someone has said, if you are really interested in a specific club, maybe reach out the board members and ask if there is a way to accommodate your situation, as I'm sure there are other commuters who are in the same boat as you. I hope this helps!

[Chem_Mod]

I also commuted about 2h. I agree with what the others have said. I think it’s a great idea to stay late and study to avoid traffic (and also so you’ve studied while at school and home can be a place where you relax). Staying at school late will allow you to participate in school groups/clubs. However, it is true that it will be a little more difficult to be a part of as many clubs, though it is not impossible. It’s up to you how much you want to be involved but everything is possible depending on how badly you want to be a part of. For me, I wasn’t focused as much on the extra curricular and just used my time at school to study. But you can be as much or as little involved as you want. Hope it helps.

[Karissa_Lee_1A]

I really only commute on the weekends, but I definitely believe planning out your week helps so much to stay on top of things. I have classes throughout the week and have to commute Friday morning and come back around Sunday afternoon. It's about 1.5 hrs each way.

[Chem_Mod]

And don't forget the Saturday and Sunday zoom sessions for commuters. :-)

[Ilisa Risal 1H]

Hello,
I know a couple of commuters and they try to create a schedule where they have more afternoon classes so that they stay on campus longer and skip the morning traffic. They enjoy being on campus later at night then coming in the morning. Also, finding carpool buddies is good because it saves money and makes the commute more entertaining.