Most people will find that travelling to college is one of the worst parts of third level education. In a time when there is a student housing crisis in Dublin, this is unfortunately the case for a lot of students at BCFE. From the various courses across the college, you will find that people are making unique journeys to their classes.
The commute for every single student is going to be different. Some may only have to hop on the G1 or 79 bus, while this might be only be part of the journey for some. No matter how long your commute takes, there is probably a good chance that you don’t look forward to it when you wake up. Not to mention that traffic, unreliable buses, and many other factors could mean that you have a very early start. If you are really struggling with your commute, then you might want to take some action to make the experience better. Some things to keep in mind are the following:
Listen to a Podcast
Listening to a podcast could be a really good way to lose track of time. This is even something that you can do if you are driving to college. With the nature of a podcast, it can become very easy to get invested in a conversation or topic. Thanks to this, you might find that time moves a little bit faster than if you were to listen to music.
The biggest challenge with this is going to be finding one that interests you enough to keep your attention for potentially hours. If you do not currently have a favourite, then you might want to do some searching to find one that interests you. Try to look at podcasts in your area of interest, or if there is an individual who you enjoy listening to.
If you are really stuck for choice, then some of the popular podcasts among students are The Joe Rogan Experience, My Therapist Ghosted Me, and the Talking Bollox podcast.
Break up the Journey
If you are unfortunate enough to have to get multiple buses on your way to college, it might be a good idea to break up the journey. Although you might have to get up 15 minutes earlier, it could prove to be very effective for your day. When you get off your first bus, you could find something small to eat and a coffee. This can help to freshen you up before getting back on your route.
On the way home, you could even get in touch with some of your friends to see if they want to meet up. This could be a nice way to finish the day and make the journey home seem shorter.
Mindfulness
There are a lot of people who will try to get some college work done while they are on the bus. However, you shouldn’t feel the need to be productive on your commute. After all, you will have plenty of time for that in college. Something that might be more beneficial for you would be to relax and practice mindfulness. This can help you to relax and have a good attitude going into college and coming home.
One way you could practise mindfulness while you are on the bus is through meditation. There are apps that can help you out. Some popular meditation apps that you could check out are the likes of Breathe, Headspace, and Calm.
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