As a commuter at Saint Leo, I know that there are many times where I feel the pressure of trying to keep up with my home life, classes, and jobs. But the key to balancing all this, and being able to involve myself on campus, is communication and time management. My freshman year here at Saint Leo University my life was all about going to class, completing my hours at my work study job, going back home to work at my other job, and then home to get some rest before starting the same routine the next day. I really was not involved with anything here at Saint Leo, and I thought I did not have the time. I now have three jobs, an internship, involved in a sorority and honor society on campus, worked two summers as an Orientation Leader, and currently enrolled in 18 credit hours. Some people think it sounds crazy and impossible, but I just make sure that I know when I have an assignment due, when I need to be somewhere, and make sure to not commit myself to tasks that I cannot complete.
Having that many jobs is definitely not ordinary for most commuter students, but we usually do have a normal five to six classes and homework. That for us, is already a lot of time especially when we have to worry about going home at the end of the day and taking care of chores and siblings.
I found that some of the easiest ways to get involved on campus is to see when there are events. You would be surprised how many events are planned, and just because you cannot make every event does not mean to rule out all of them. Sometimes just going to bingo or the Cobb movie event can get you mingling. There are also quite a few organizations on campus that are willing to work with commuters who really want to get involved on campus. We have Greek Life, Campus Activities Board, Student Government Union, and over 70 different organizations as well. There is even an organization designated for commuter students. So not only is there an organization for just about any interest and major, but students are also encouraged to continuously create new organizations and get involved.
What this means for commuter students is that we have every opportunity to sit down at some point in our week and see if there are some things we are interested in on campus and make that daring move to seek out more information. You don’t have to just go straight home after classes. All the commuters are encouraged to make a move and get involved. Why not make the best of your college experience and see what Saint Leo University has to offer?
