How to Make the Most Out of Your Time Commuting to School

We are very fortunate to have a campus that is located in the heart of the vibrant and diverse city of Toronto. It is a big and busy city, and while many students live in residence or near campus, our university has a large commuter population with a majority of students relying heavily on public transportation. 77% of our university students have said they use local and regional transit as their primary way to get to campus (Source: City Building Ryerson). Personally, I lived in residence in my first year and now I’m a commuter, so I feel like I have the best insight on both experiences (and yes, I miss living in residence and waking up 20 minutes before class).

Public transportation can be unpredictable, long and sometimes a headache. If you’ve ever gotten stuck on the subway because of technical difficulties/construction or missed the bus, you know what I mean — public transportation isn't always the most fun. On average, students commute an hour to school, and this is valuable time that they spend on public transportation. While most of us say we’re going to do school work on the train, we usually end up scrolling on TikTok the whole time. To help, I’ve made a list of things to do during your commute to make the most out of your time.

Okay, this one may sound simple but honestly, it is a great way to settle down, take a little mental break and just enjoy some good music or even listen to a podcast. Take this time to enjoy the ride, look out the window, people watch and just rest. I like to listen to the newest songs out that week or even my “chill music” playlist on Spotify while I look out the window pretending I’m the main character in a music video. I’ve also recently gotten into podcasts, which are a great way to spend your time, especially when you find one you like. I’ve listened to mystery podcasts (which I highly recommend), podcasts on interesting topics like the metaverse, famous celebrities and YouTubers podcasts and even podcasts that talk about what's going on in the news. I promise if you have an interest or hobby, there's a podcast for you.

I am extremely jealous of people who can read on trains, cars, boats, etc. without getting dizzy or car sick. Unfortunately, I was not blessed with this skill, and I can get nauseous if I read on public transportation, but that is when audiobooks come in handy. Even if you’re not really into books, there's no time than the present. Find one that you think you’ll like whether it’s fiction, non-function, a self-help book, a mystery book, fantasy, etc. Listen to or read a book and time will fly by. It’s a great way to give your head a break and do something you enjoy (especially since most of the readings we do nowadays are textbooks for school).

I find public transportation a great time to reply to text messages that I’ve been holding off on replying to or to even clean out my inbox and reply to emails. I’m already sitting down for an hour, so I might as well clean out and organize my phone, reach out to friends and family who I have been meaning to contact and catch up with people I may not usually talk to. I will spend this time calling my grandma, texting back group members, reaching out to high school friends and doing anything I have been putting off that is easy to do. I find that socializing on my phone and catching up with friends makes the time go by quickly and makes me feel productive.

If you have Netflix or any other streaming service on your phone, you can download some movies or episodes of a TV show and watch them without wifi on public transportation. This is one of my favourite things to do because sometimes it's hard to find time to watch popular shows that everyone is talking about. What better time to watch it than when you’re sitting for an hour and want to be entertained? I take this time to catch up on shows, watch my favourite movies and just take a break. It's a simple activity that is easy to do, takes up your time and is something I would have done at home anyway.

Last but not least, spend this time doing some homework. Now listen, I tell myself I will work on my assignments on the train, but we both know I never actually do it. Be realistic with yourself, but public transportation is a great place to do some light work that doesn't require a lot of thinking. This includes, for example, making a document for an essay you have to write later, editing a paper, designing a digital poster or any simple task that won’t require you to think hard and can be completed with headphones on. These light and simple tasks may seem insignificant but in the end, they take up time later at home.

As much as public transportation can be annoying, it's also part of the university experience and it's honestly not that bad. There's just something about seeing a bunch of students just like you sitting on a bus on the way home after a day of classes. Most students at our university have become accustomed to commuting and will have their favourite activity to do on the train/bus/subway. Try out one of these activities and maybe you’ll find a new way to make the most out of your commuting experience. Just know that even when your bus is late or the subway line is under construction, we’ve all been there and the silver lining is that you’ll have a good story to tell.

XOXO - Eva Oseen