Day 7- The End

I have been holding off this last post because I have been processing the whole experience. This experience was eye opening not just for the concerns commuters would have but also about myself. I found that I really enjoyed commuting. I learned that a commuter has benefits that a resident does not have this includes:

Time to reflect on the day
No Roommate
Family Time
Being in tune with the hometown crowd
Control over the study environment

On the other hand being a commuter has it's drawbacks

No Roommate
Family Time
Not in Tune with the School
Traffic

For some people the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. For me as I said in Day 6, I want to be able to have the benefit of commuting while minimizing the drawbacks which mean that I may end up having a car on campus because I may have overlooked having a car when I decided to be a resident. This probably also means that I will be going home more to recreate the benefit of having family time.

So I guess this is the end of the experience.

Day 6- Almost to the End

okay so I admit I may have cheated a little during this experiment and went to my apartment during some long blank times during my days. But this has gotten me thinking.

What if I couldn't go back to my apartment during those long blank times?
What about those long days?
Do I like commuting or being a resident?

Although I have found joy in commuting (even with the traffic) I wonder if this initial joy will wear off in a few weeks as I get back into the routine of resident life. I am contemplating whether there is a way to recreate the good parts of this experience. I figured out that maybe I neglected the fact that having a car at school is actually a good thing and is midway between commuting and being a resident.

Tip for the Day
Bring your Lunch & Dinner to school and don't just bring snacks either especially on long days you'll get hungry for sure.

Day 5- A Close Call

I admit, I cut it kind of close today with time. I left my house at 6:15 and because I had to make a call at 6:30 I got off the 60 freeway at Hacienda Blvd. I got back on at about 6:45, got to school at around 7:30 and arrived in class just in time for my 8:00 class. This is just really not a good idea. Had I had to find a parking space or had to go up a few more floors in the parking structure this would have been trouble. Also had the freeway been more of a pest with all its traffic I most likely would have been late. As I said on the first day of this experience give yourselves a one hour cushion, so if it takes you one hour to get to school on a bad day then you leave about 2- 2 1/2 hours before. That is your best bet.

By the way. There are only two more days in this experience. Yea.

Tip for the Day
Just simply watching the traffic report or listening to the traffic on the radio will give you some idea of how the traffic is going to be (Note: sometimes the traffic reports may not be updated or the traffic maps may not zoom in enough)

Day 4- Nothing New

Today's commute was okay other than some traffic I got to school at 8:15 am and I left at 7:15. Once again I was pretty rushed getting out of the house. I really like the parking spots in Parking Structure B. I still feel really disconnected with the campus.

Tip for the Day
Bring something to do because if you leave an hour early (as I stated in my tip from Day 1) you'll probably have some free time to do stuff.

Day 3- I got this down

Today the experience was similar to Friday when I was rushed to get out. I got out at 6:15 and got to school at 7:15. I ate my breakfast while driving in traffic. Today I parked in Parking Structure B. I noticed today that because this structure is new the parking spaces accommodated my car and can accommodate larger SUVs also. If you don't mind the walk from the Galen Center to your classes this is the parking lot for you.

I realized today that I am getting really used to commuting. As of Today I am confident that I can get through the rest of the week commuting the campus.

Tip for the day
-get some grab and go breakfast foods (Quaker Breakfast Cookies, Quaker Chewy bars, and Fiber One bars, etc..)

Day 2- Early Morning

This morning I left at 6:30 to get to school on time for an 8:00 class. I was really rushed this morning. I was afraid that I would forget to bring something this morning. I arrived at school around 7:30 and once again I squeezed into a parking spot. I had to have a guy in the car next to me watch my front so I would not crash. There was not really any traffic this morning but I probably would have been late had there been major traffic. I am starting to feel the effects of being a commuter. I don't feel as connected to the campus as I did a few days ago although not much has changed.

Tip of the Day:
-Pack your car the night before so you assure you will not forget anything

Cost Counter

Costs of my commute.

Day 1
Gas $44.25
2 Day Parking Pass $16.00
Ice Blended Coffee $4.30
1 Week Parking Pass $30.00
Day 3
Gas $47.25 (may be inaccurate because I drove during the weekend)

Day 1 :Thought This Was a good Idea

Okay so I admit I thought this was a good idea. My rationalization was the fact that I used to commute to Cal State Fullerton, how bad could commuting to USC be? I was wrong. There is a huge difference. One major difference is the traffic. The 57 freeway may have traffic but compared to the 60 freeway it's child's play.

My first big mistake is forgetting to drink coffee before getting on the freeway. Basically this was a disaster. Picture me half asleep in my car driving on the freeway at 7am and the fact that there was traffic made it worse.

I arrive at school at 8:05 and get a two day parking pass (this is kinda cool to note) and I go to parking structure A and I park in the first spot I find coming up the ramp. One thing I have to admit is that the parking spaces are quite small compared to at Cal State Fullerton. My PT Cruiser was a tight fit. After parking I head straight to The Lot to get coffee.

Tip for the day:
- Get your coffee before you leave home or get on the freeway (saves you money and you won't fall asleep on the freeway)
-Give yourself at least a one hour cushion time so you're not late for class

Senator Aide Commuter Experiment

My name is Cynthia Hsia. I am Katie Zhang's senator aide. As one of my projects I am trying this experiment. Here's some background:

The Experiment
Have someone who is a resident experience the life of a commuter for one week
My Goal
To understand going to USC from a commuter's point of view and offer words of
encouragement and hope

Why?
My dad is out of town so I decided that this experiment would not only help me understand
commuters but also I decided to do this because I wanted to take care of my dog.

My Experience Journal:
Day 1 :Thought This Was a good Idea
Day 2- Early Morning
Day 3- I got this down
Day 4- Nothing New
Day 5- A Close Call
Day 6- Almost to the End
Day 7- The End

Other aspects of my experience:
Cost Counter

Did you Know??

Parking
41.4% of students spend about 10 minutes finding parking spaces near campus
36.3% of students spend 5 minutes or less finding parking spaces near campus
64.4% of students have been late for class a few times a semester because
they couldn’t find a parking space
21.9% of students have been late for class a few times a month because they
couldn’t find a parking space
50.8% of students wanted more parking spaces
20.9% of students wanted bigger parking spaces

Alternate Transportation
65% of students are not familiar with any of Trojan Transportation’s
alternate transit options
42% of students who use alternate transit use Metro
40.5% use Carpool
19.3% of students wanted renewable energy trams
9% of students wanted better bus stops