🕘 6:30
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
That’s your alarm clock screaming in your ear. You’re a commuter student and you have a 9am lecture. Straight out of bed – none of that snooze malarkey, you’ve been fooled before.
🕘 7:30
Showered and ready to go. An outfit is chosen, a bag is packed, and you’re ready to leave for uni. You take one last longing look at the toaster before glancing at the time on your lockscreen and dashing out the door.
🕘 7:35
Sweating. Running home. Heavy bag has a twisted strap that is digging into your shoulder. Your laptop charger is where you left it plugged in, close call but you’ve secured the charger and are back on track.
🕘 7:40
Fast walking back to the bus stop. Quick check of the bus times reveals that the U1 is on time. All is well, order has returned. Your stomach growls but you ignore it, no space in the bag for food today.
🕘 7:45
Made it to the bus stop. Updated bus times reveal a broken-down bus and twenty-minute delay. You resist the urge to launch your phone at the ground and grumpily cram an earbud in your ear.
🕘 8:05
In what can only be described as a miracle, the U1 arrives at its expected time. You bound through the double doors, slam your bus pass against the scanner and stomp towards the nearest empty seat, not catching anybody’s eye, not passing go, not collecting £200.
🕘 8:55
The bus swings onto campus. It’s on your marks, get set, GO as the doors open. Students spill out onto the pavement heaving their bulging bags with them. You are no different, everyone has five minutes to get to their 9ams, and nobody is willing to risk the embarrassment of walking in late to a full lecture hall.
🕘 8:59
You flop into your seat. Two-and-a-half hours into your day, you’re sweaty, shaking from stress and exhausted from carrying a heavy bag, but you made it. Around you, campus-based students sip coffees and finish overnight oats from reusable tubs. Your stomach protests again before you open your laptop and lock in for a day of learning.
If this timeline is feeling a little too relatable as a fellow student who travels into uni, you’re not alone. With nearly half of all UK students (46%) considering themselves ‘commuter students’, we’ve been working hard to understand the issues you’re facing.
So, if you’re feeling:
💸 Worried about money
🔌 Disconnected from the uni community
😣 Stressed at unpredictable travel delays
🎽 Like you’re missing out on extra-curriculars
👩💻 Exhausted from balancing uni work with other responsibilities
It’s okay, all these feelings are totally valid, and policymakers and universities are working hard to put systems in place, so students relying on public transport to make their contact hours feel more supported in their higher education journey.
In the meantime, here are a few ideas that may help you to manage your time, and workload, whilst always on the go: Make your commute count
- Make the commute count
The commute doesn’t have to be wasted time, it’s a time to get up-to-speed and ready for your contact hours. Use the Kortext apps to download content to your mobile device so no matter where you are, no matter what your internet connection, you have offline access to your course content.Whether you’re walking in, or spending time getting on and off public transport, our read aloud function allows you a new way to experience your uni reading that makes room for multi-tasking.
- Set achievable goals for your bus journey
Avoid cramming by setting small and achievable goals for your journey. Whether it’s getting to grips with one page of your Kortext textbook or revisiting saved notes and highlights before your lecture, even the small achievements can make a huge difference to your understanding and confidence.
- Prepare the day before
Advice you’ve probably heard before, but a lifesaver in reducing morning stress. Use the evening before to prep meals, pack a bag and even (if you’re extra organised) pick an outfit! If you’re like us and run on autopilot before a brew, reduce your morning to-dos and enjoy a smoother start to the day.
- Pack light with Kortext
Ditch the need to carry heavy bags of textbooks and stationery! Free up the space for lecture snacks and a water bottle to keep your brain fuelled for learning. Kortext provides a whole library in your rucksack, ready and waiting to be digitally annotated, shared and seamlessly synced between devices! - Ask your university for advice on support resources
Many universities have encouraged the setup of resources and dedicated campus facilities for commuters, with some even introducing commuter societies to battle that feeling of disconnect from the uni community.Ask your support team about academic flexibility through recorded lectures, flexible scheduling, and where to find dedicated areas like lounges, lockers, communal kitchens and quiet study spaces on your campus.
Commuting can be chaos, and juggling study and travel isn’t easy, but you’re doing it!
Kortext provides the flexibility to turn every journey into a learning opportunity, helping you stay on track one step (or stop) at a time.
