At John Carroll University, I’m often referred to as “the one that commutes from an hour away.” Yes, you read that correctly. I do, indeed, drive an hour each way to get to and from college.

Depending on my schedule, I commute to John Carroll five to six days a week, which is equivalent to approximately 10-12 hours and 500 miles of driving. In addition, I usually fill up my gas tank two to three times in one week. I work two on-campus jobs where I essentially get paid to do homework, so I don’t have an issue with affording gas.

When I talk about my commuting situation with other students, I tend to get asked questions such as “Why don’t you just live on-campus?” and “Why would you do that to yourself?” quite a bit. To answer the commonly-asked question as to why I’m not residing on campus, I just can’t do it. I give props to everyone who is comfortable with living in a dorm, but there is no way I would be able to handle that.

Even though I do a lot of driving, mainly on the freeway, just to attend college, commuting from home has developed a lot of personal benefits. I’m very thankful that John Carroll University allowed me to commute from such a long distance.

A huge reason I chose to be a commuter was because I wasn’t willing to move out and live away from my home and family. I have a close-knit family and the thought of being separated from them for a long period of time and only interacting by texting and calling is unbearable. By driving to and from school, I get to go home and see my family every day and not have to worry about homesickness.

I have a dog and three cats and always look forward to bonding with them while unwinding from a day of not being home. My dog likes sitting by my side while I eat dinner not only to beg for food, but also to make up for the time lost while I am away. My cats tend to stop by my bedroom and make me pet them while I’m wrapping up homework assignments.

I love returning to my house to find a home-cooked meal waiting for me. I often find myself staying on-campus until it gets late due to night classes, work and extracurricular activities.

I’m sure every single student at John Carroll University likes their mother’s cooking a lot better than the food that is offered at the dining hall. Instead of eating the same meal whenever I go into the cafeteria, I have the luxury of appreciating the delicious food my mother cooks every night. Enjoying a home-cooked meal right after I walk in the door is the perfect start to settling down after a long day at school.

Students usually have to deal with sharing a room with at least one other peer while they live at college. Fortunately, that’s not the case for me. Instead of tailoring my bedtime routine to the schedule of the other person, I get the pleasure of going to bed whenever I want in a bedroom of my own. I also don’t have to worry about waking people up when I’m getting ready in the morning. I even like having my own bathroom and shower. I cannot imagine using communal bathrooms and sharing a huge area with people you don’t know just to spruce yourself up.

Commuting comes with the necessity of having a reliable vehicle. As a high school graduation gift, my parents gave me a Buick Encore SUV that has a five-star safety rating and many sensors that help decrease my odds of getting into an accident. The car also has tinted windows which allows me to eat, take naps and watch YouTube without getting distracted by pedestrians walking past my vehicle. I basically live in my car a lot of the time since I spend a lot of time driving and relaxing in it during the week.

If your home is about an hour away from John Carroll and you aren’t a huge fan of dorm life, think about commuting instead. You might enjoy the benefits that come with making the daily drive from that far away.