Commuters Should Get Involved On Campus

Gabriela Enamorado/Contributing Writer

If you’re a commuter like me, you know how it is. You come to class, sit in through a lecture and then leave. You probably aren’t on campus all that much, just the days that you have to be there. 

This was my routine for a while—until I joined some school clubs.

While I’m still fairly new to these organizations, I feel like a part of the Panther family. Other commuters should follow my steps and also get involved as much as they can to try and get to the full college experience. 

Before joining clubs, I wouldn’t really talk to anyone and drive an hour and a half home immediately after class. Now, since I’ve joined clubs on campus, I’m eager to stay at FIU interacting with my fellow Panthers.

Many school organizations give you opportunities to meet others that have the same interests as you. I’ve recently joined FIU’s Simple Pleasures organization and felt very connected there. There is a focus on LGBTQIA+ positivity and sex positivity, things that are important to me. Through this, I’ve found like minded people who all are great and have elevated my school experience. 

I’ve also felt a better sense of community at school and felt more comfortable. Being more involved makes you feel like you’re actually making a difference there and making your mark. Being more involved helps you feel a part of something.

That sense of community that so many college students want can be found once you put yourself out there to participate in things. Otherwise, as a commuter, you’re going to feel like you’re in a community college where you don’t do much once classes are done. 

Living on campus certainly makes it easier to feel like you’re having the college experience, but it’s not impossible to get that feeling when you’re a commuter. If you take charge of your college life, you can make it what you want. You decide how your experience is going to go. I decided how mine is going to go, and now I truly feel at place at FIU. 

Featured image by FIU Flickr.

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