Adjusting to Grad School as a Commuter

Written by Jennifer Carbajal
December 2025

So, you have started graduate school… And you already feel overwhelmed by the new environment… And on top of the already overwhelming feeling consuming your body, you must deal with the stress of outside factors. Will I feel a good fit in the school’s environment? Am I smart enough to be in grad school? And now, on top of those little voices whispering in your head, you remember that you are also commuting to school. Now you feel like your head is going to explode.

Well first, you must stop and shut down those little whispers weaving their way into your mind. Do not let anxiety consume you. Most of those worries you have absolutely no control over, but what you can control is your mindset. You have decided to commute and so be it. Do not let the fear consume you. Yes, it can be exhausting to think about school, commuting, and maybe even your personal life. However, it is not abnormal for students to commute to school. In fact, there usually is a community of commuter students at every undergraduate school, so it is very likely that there will be a commuter community at graduate school as well.

Maybe the issue is not that you fear being the only one commuting but rather that you’re scared of the time spent driving, and the exhaustion that may accompany it. See, driving itself may not be a huge issue. The issue is time. There are only 24 hours a day; around 8 hours are already dedicated to sleep. Moreover, depending on the commute, there might be twenty minutes to an hour, or maybe even more, of your time that is consumed by a drive.

If a student can afford housing near, or within, their program they are more likely to take the opportunity. Graduate programs are notorious for being extremely difficult on both a student’s time and energy. Your studies have suddenly become more complex, because you are in a graduate level of your studies, and there is also the struggle of navigating a completely different environment. Students will be more mindful of which struggles they want to endure. Cutting down on a commute may adjust time for engaging in other activities. For example, just like an undergraduate student, as a first year within your graduate program, it is crucial to develop relationships and foster communications with peers, mentors, faculty, and more. After all, networking is essential to ensure an overall rewarding experience within the program.

Even then, do not let that fear stop you. You can still commute while actively maintaining your studies and enjoying the perks of their program. If you plan and schedule your days, then you should be able to accommodate time so as not to miss anything important. Do not let the fear of missing out on activities bring your spirits down. Commuting does not have to be an obstacle within your studies. All it takes is finding a way to work around it.

So here are some suggestions that can help you as a commuter:

1. Making a Schedule

Making a schedule is crucial when commuting. Having a schedule makes planning events much easier. There is no need to stress when there is time allocated for your class time, engagements, and of course your commute time.

Some people are not fans of making schedules. A lot of people claim that they get anxiety from looking at a schedule and realizing that they are not following it. However, when it comes to a schedule you do not need to have every hour accounted for. Rather, it is much easier to plan loosely to allow you to have grace. For example, you can note important deadlines and events within your calendars and have a ballpark time for when you will study and complete your assignments. Having notice, through a schedule, of important times and dates is what is truly important when it comes to a schedule because at least you will be aware of what you must complete.

Most people struggle with starting the process of making a schedule, but there are various resources available.

  • Conduct independent research and create a schedule yourself, within Google calendar for example.
  • Visit the office of success within your program to meet with an academic success member to help you start
  • Use free services and resources provided by the Elon University such as our Student Resources page or connect with one of our wonderful Graduate Liaisons.

Making and following a schedule does not have to be hard. It is a learned skill that reaps a lot of benefits. Future employers, for example, value the skill of scheduling because it is often associated with time management. If you are able to manage your time, then you are more likely to have the capabilities of completing multiple tasks with no problem. Practicing making a schedule and following time management will ensure that the skill is as refined as possible by the time you enter the workforce.

2. Prioritizing

See now that you have created a schedule;, it has become much easier to visualize what needs to be prioritized. Having a good visual of assignments and deadlines releases some of the pressure slowly building up. You can now determine whether you are on a strict schedule to complete an assignment, or whether you have the leniency to dedicate your time to something else.

As mentioned before, time is gold as a graduate student. If you have spare time, it is beneficial to use it wisely. You can have leisure time, study more, or even go to some events hosted by your program. There is no need to have the fear that you are missing an assignment, or that you have not studied enough. However, realistically there will always be another task to complete, or you should ideally dedicate more time to your studies. It is not healthy to allow school to consume who you are. It is important to take breaks and prioritize your health as well.

Now that you have a schedule put into place, you can schedule such plans in. If an event comes up, you can plan around it accordingly. If there is a networking event at school, for example, and you find it to be important to attend, then you are able to schedule it in and work around it. No more room for unnecessary stress.

3. Productivity

To ensure that you are productive, you must learn to be efficient. If you are terrified that you are wasting time while driving to and from school, then it becomes essential that you use time wisely. You might consider studying while driving. But wait! I am not advocating for reckless driving, or the endangerment of life. Rather, there are other ways to study, for example, listening to podcasts on your drive. If you are a law student, there is a wonderful podcast on Spotify that provides listening material for different topics. Law School Toolbox is a very popular legal podcast that has episodes on various legal topics ranging from Torts to Evidence. Some episodes even provide advice on how to conquer exam anxiety and the best tips for studying. Sure, you may not be an auditory learner, but it does not hurt to reinforce your knowledge through various means.

And of course, as AI becomes more advanced, society is being introduced to different tools that can be used to advance your studies. NotebookLM is a Google AI that transforms your notes into podcasts, outlines, and quizzes. NotebookLM is a relatively new program, but improvements have been made to the platform. However, you should always double check the AI policy within your course to ensure that your professor permits AI for studying. Yes, we want to be efficient, but we do not want to infringe upon a professor’s requests.

If you are concerned about using AI for your studies, it is okay to try another method. Some students prefer to record themselves teaching the material and listen to it over and over again, even in the car! I know it sounds silly to hear your voice repeatedly, but it has great memorization benefits.

Hopefully, some of these tips will be useful for your studies and efficiency with increasing productivity during drives. Auditory studying is still studying even if you feel like you may not be learning as much. You are still exposing yourself to material.

Overall, there is no need to worry about commuting. If you are concerned about the possible implications the loss of time might have on your studies, or your enjoyment of activities and events, then, as discussed above, there are always ways to manage your time. Just give yourself grace and space to grow. Everything will be okay!