Should you commute? – live at home, make the drive to school
By Karlotta Richardson
The Collegian
For Fresno State students who don’t live in Fresno, time is extremely precious as each day has to be scheduled to include commuting time, classes, and, in some cases, work.
Many students who live outside of Fresno commute from surrounding cities to get to school, which has both benefits and disadvantages.
Jessica Escobedo, a liberal studies major, commutes everyday from Madera and sees living outside of Fresno as an advantage.
“Living at home, I get more study time and free rent,” Escobedo said.
Theatre arts major Adam McGee commutes to school five days a week from Hanford. He said the drive to Fresno each day is beneficial to him because it gives him time to think and plan out his day.
But he and Escobedo both agree that high gas prices have put a strain on their finances.
McGee said it has had an effect on disposable income and made finances tight.
And the same rings true for Escobedo.
“I don’t have a lot of money to spend on the things that I want, I have to save it for gas,” Escobedo said.
Escobedo also said waking up early to get to classes and to find a good parking space are reasons why she doesn’t like commuting.
Unpleasant weather has also had an affect on those who commute.
“I wasn’t able to go to school some days because of the fog,” Escobedo said.
McGee said he has had to leave home earlier and come home later because of driving in the fog.
Escobedo, who also works, said she has to drive back to Madera right after her classes to make it to her job within 30 minutes.
Even with the advantages of commuting, Escobedo said that she would much rather live in Fresno.
McGee is planning to move to Fresno and said it will be definitely easier than living in Hanford.
With students managing days filled with classes and sometimes work, the danger of driving when tired is one thing that some students who commute face.
Escobedo said she has driven while sleepy many times and finds she is the most tired in the morning on her way to school.
McGee said he listens to music or talks to his wife on the phone during his drive home from school.
“It’s probably not the safest thing, but it’s better than falling asleep,” he said.
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