Commuting to UC Berkeley
In high school, I’d grown used to standing at the bus stop for ten to fifteen minutes, jumping on, and immediately being dropped off right in front of my school. Easy. So in my freshman year of college at UC Berkeley, I went into it with the same mindset: “This will be simple, this will be easy, this won’t take too much time.”
Until my first day of school as a commuter student living in the Bay Area a short distance from campus. Little did I know, a ten-minute bus ride is way different from a ten-minute bus ride to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station, a fifteen-minute BART ride, plus walking to campus and finding your classes — only to rinse and repeat the next day.
Now, I’m a junior majoring in media studies, and this blog is about my experiences as a commuter student.
A BART selfie.
How do you commute to UC Berkeley? What types of commuting are there?
I commute using public transit. I ride the bus and BART. In the event I’m running short on time or I finish hanging out with friends late at night, I use ride shares like Uber or Lyft. I choose public transportation because not only is it free with the new BayPass, but I don’t have to worry about parking, and I love the feeling of having an extra moment in the day to take time for myself. It’s pretty therapeutic watching the sunset after a long day while sitting and listening to music until your next stop.
There are many other types of commuters, though. Some have their own car and drive, others carpool with other commuters, and some ride their bikes or scooters to campus. For students who drive, there are student parking permits and designated parking locations. Bear Transit connects several of the parking structures.
The view from the BART.
How do you prepare for the semester as a commuter student?
Preparing for a semester of commuting is actually pretty easy! However, there are things you may not expect to have to account for. Picking classes isn’t just about requirements anymore, if you like the professor, or whatever else. You also need to ask yourself, “Will I be able to get here on time?” “How far is this class from where I get dropped off ?” “Will this class be too late? It gets dark at 5 p.m. and I still need to get home and do homework and cook.” It sounds overwhelming on paper, but as long as you talk to your adviser about your circumstances or have a good understanding of your personal schedule and limits, it’s easy.
Time management and planning ahead are important. For my schedule, I aim to have classes in the afternoon. I have to wake up two hours early before a class just to get ready, do any homework or job work I have to do, and account for the time it takes to get to campus and find my classes. I finish with anything campus-related at around 3 p.m. That way, I can get home at a reasonable time.
It’s also important to prepare when it comes to safety, especially if you’re a solo commuter. Make sure there is someone who can keep tabs on you. It can be someone like your mom or dad, or even a friend, but someone should know that you got to your destination safely. If possible, befriend other commuters and travel home together! I was lucky enough to befriend someone who also lived in the same neighborhood as me, so whenever it got late, we would just commute home together and keep tabs on what time we each got home. There’s also safety apps that the university provides, like Safewalk, where a student can walk you safely to the BART station once it starts to get dark.
Before you leave, triple-check you have everything. Not double, triple. Unlike other students who can just go back to their residence halls if they forget something, once you leave your apartment and get on that bus, there’s no going back until the day is over. Pack the essentials like a charger, computer, a water bottle, snacks, and whatever else you might need to get through the day. It doesn’t hurt to bring emergency supplies like deodorant. (Trust me; you’ll thank me when that 65-degree morning turns into 85 degrees by the afternoon.) On that note, be sure to check the weather the night before you commute. The weather here is amazing, but if you aren’t prepared, you may be forced to buy a $30 umbrella and a jacket.
The BART arrives.
What can you expect when it comes to commuting?
You can expect to be tired a lot. Commuting is a great way to save money, but whether it be trying to catch your train or driving through traffic, it can take a lot out of you. But like everything, once you commute enough times, you get used to it and honestly become a stronger student each semester.
Expect to stumble upon a lot of random things, whether that be people, events, or whatever else. Lots of times when I’ve been on transit, I’ve seen friends from class, or from my high school, and it’s a pretty fun opportunity to catch up with people! As for events, when you’re running around town, there’s bound to be something happening. I’ve seen food trucks lined up just outside the BART station, farmer’s markets and concerts happening right outside Downtown Berkeley BART. When you’re living on one part of campus and don’t have any reason to really travel around, you might miss events like that. It’s always cool being the friend to text the group chat and say, “Hey guys, check this out!” and send a picture of a random Christmas market downtown with a meet and greet with Santa Claus and free hot chocolate when you’re trying to head home after finals.
Are you a commuter to UC Berkeley? 🚍🐻 This is for you! Here are some tips from a UC Berkeley student on preparing for campus life using public transit and having a successful semester as a commuter. 💛
@sfbayarearapidtransit @rideact
#UCBerkeley #UCBerkeleyLife #CollegeLife #StudentLife #BART
How have you found community as a commuter student?
Finding community took a lot of courage and initiative. It goes without saying that leaving campus early and missing out on the nightlife, whether that be partying or joining clubs, makes it pretty difficult to feel like part of the community. Honestly, during my sophomore year, I would get really angry about it. It felt like I was paying tuition to get only half of the college experience. It wasn’t until I got angry though that it finally clicked for me: I can’t expect just showing up to be enough. Even people who do live in the residence halls don’t make friends that way. I had to step it up. I took little steps, like joining the Berkeley Discord server for students, especially the channels that people would make specifically for classes that involved my major. I would chat in it and form study groups with people. We’d talk about our hobbies, which classes we were taking, make plans to go out for lunch, and boom – finally, new friends.
I know I mentioned that attending clubs can be on the harder side, but hey, who says you actually need to join the club to make any friends? I decided to try checking out an event for a club that encouraged basically anybody who stumbled upon a flyer to come. I didn’t think much about it and just showed up. When it comes to clubs, it feels kind of like freshman year. Recruiting season for clubs is a specific space where people are just as excited as you and actually want to make an effort to meet other people just as much as you do. It’s doubled when it’s a club about a hobby you genuinely love, too.
All it took was going up to one person. Next thing I know, I’m jumping from group to group laughing, learning about people’s lives and why they chose Berkeley. It was one of those moments that made me realize that the hardest part is just starting.
The second hardest part is continuing. You have to take further initiative to keep things going. Just because you make friends one day doesn’t mean that’s enough to keep any friendships. The best example I can give is my friend group from Golden Bear Orientation (GBO). After GBO, we all struggled to see each other due to our conflicting schedules, different majors, and my commuting. But we still kept in touch by texting. Whenever our group chat goes quiet, I usually reach out; sometimes people just need a checkup (with limits, of course). I’m in my junior year of coming to Berkeley, and the people I am still in contact with, we are as close as ever. We love to make plans, like going to SF or going on vacation. It’s become a bit of a tradition for us to see each other at least once during the school year when we have the time.
Finding community takes some initiative, but it’s rewarding.
Final tips for students who commute
You need to learn to be adaptable and be kind to yourself. Sometimes, you wake up late, and other times, the BART shuts down for whatever reason. Sometimes you still make your way to campus only to head to your class and realize class was cancelled. Don’t let it discourage you; take a moment and breathe. Waking up early, waiting on the bus, going straight to class, and then doing it all over again can get exhausting. Use those empty spaces getting to campus to listen to music, watch a video, or do something else you enjoy. Even after class, don’t feel pressured to go straight home. No matter what, you are still a part of UC Berkeley, and it is your campus as much as anyone else’s. So take the time to appreciate it. Honestly, the commute makes you appreciate the little things about UC Berkeley campus even more.
UC Berkeley has also made strides in accommodating commuter students, like their “Oxford Hall” Commuter Lounge. Just a four-minute walk from BART, if you need to find a place to wait out the time before your classes start, or if you want a new place to study at that’s close enough to public transit, I would recommend checking it out!
Also, you can totally put being a commuter student on your resume and talk about what it means: You’re great at handling work on the go, and a lack of proximity has never stopped you from getting the work done.
Ivory at a Cal football game.
Ivory Lopez, Class of 2027, is majoring in media studies.
Want more?
- Learn how to tame your student budget.
- Want to work on assignments and make friends at the same time? Explore Study Groups 101, by students and for students.
- Take advantage of BayPass and explore the Bay Area.