By JAMES RIEDEL
STAFF WRITER
Mark Rivera, a junior at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, has a one-hour-30-minute commute to campus that often limits his ability to participate in events on campus and hinders his attendance.
Rivera said he’s often late to class because of factors out-of-his-control such as train delays. Many classes at Rutgers have grades that are dependent on students coming to class on time, so being late entails more than just missing an informative lecture, Rivera added.
“Using a combination of the bus and train it takes me an hour and a half to get to and from campus” Rivera remarked.
To overcome the attendance issues, Rivera says he is in constant contact with his professors.
“I’m always sending emails, letting them know what my situation is,” he said.
Unfortunately for Rivera, there are other things on campus he is unable to attend. Rivera is not in any clubs; he would like to join one but his schedule is dictated by the NJ Transit and it is difficult to fit a club in given his schedule.
On Thursdays, Rivera has a five-hour gap in between his first and second class which puts him in an odd spot.
Rivera is still unsure how he is going to handle the void in his schedule. “I’m considering going home during that gap to get food. I don’t have a meal plan and there isn’t much for me to do on campus during that timeframe,” he said.
Rivera’s schedule does not afford him an opportunity to get a job while also being a full- time student, he said. With the rising costs of the monthly NJ Transit fees and school textbooks, it becomes too costly to eat out.
The one positive that the commute provides is an opportunity to help Rivera in his academics. Rivera says that the train provides a natural slot of time he can dedicate to doing assignments since he is relatively free from distraction.
However, Rutgers classes often require Internet usage, and there is no Wi-Fi on the train or bus.
Rivera decided to attend the New Brunswick campus over the Newark campus. Rivera’s hometown of Bloomfield is in close proximity to the Newark campus, and he felt that the New Brunswick campus was “bigger and better” than the Newark Campus.
Rivera’s hometown of Bloomfield is in close proximity to the Newark campus. We just said that Additionally, Rivera stated he wanted to be a part of a diverse student body because he said his hometown of Bloomfield was not a diverse town. |
