According to Fordham’s website, “The Lincoln Center campus is home to approximately 1,600 full-time undergraduate students. Roughly half of the students are commuter students.” Once I read that approximately half of the students I go to school with also commute, I was able to see the task of commuting in a different light. Fordham’s Commuter Student Services page also states that “commuter students ride the subway and commuter trains; they travel by bus, taxi or car during their daily journey to campus.” This also helped me see the benefits of my commute into the city, or as Fordham puts it, “journey to campus.”

Commuters are basically forced to learn the subway system, walk around New York City and spend a lot of time off-campus. It’s not entirely terrible to be forced to do any of these things; in fact, it’s beneficial. If I weren’t a commuter student, I would be much more hesitant to take the subway all around New York City alone. Now that I take the subway every day, I’m comfortable exploring and finding my way around NYC’s underground. There’s also a whole world above the subway that I get to explore. In my two block walk from the A train to school, I’ve seen paparazzi, a film crew, the beautiful sights of Columbus Circle and fellow commuters making their journey to class.

Of course, those who live on campus can also experience New York and all of the glorious things that are found under and above its streets, but commuter students are literally forced to see it every day, and we shouldn’t take it for granted.

Instead of dreading our early morning commute, we should appreciate that we’re taking the train to school, unlike many fellow train riders who are going to their boring nine-to-five jobs. We should use our time in transit to our advantage by reading and catching up on schoolwork. We, as commuters, should embrace the chaotic crowds of businessmen—it’s a side of New York some students don’t get to see.

Due to the high number of commuting students in the Fordham community, there is an association made just for them.

The CSA—Commuter Students Association—hosts many events throughout the school year that are exclusive to commuting students. When one thinks about the exclusivity of the group, it makes us seem more like a select group rather than a forgotten society. Pizza parties, Broadway shows and small group meetings are just some of the activities planned for this exclusive association. If it’s hard for you to fit in as a commuter, this group is made to unify your comrades and help you coexist with the residents.

Whether a commuter or a resident, we all come to Fordham to learn and socialize. Some people have the typical college experience of living with roommates in a dorm building; others, like myself, live in an atypical scenario and find themselves waiting for a late night train the day before school starts. Struggling commuter students should realize that they’re not alone in their feat, and their whole commute can change if they look at it as a journey. Take some time during your morning commute to appreciate the city around you. Even if your 7 a.m. train created a little sleep deprivation, we’re all in New York together; we’re all in the city that never sleeps.