You’d think that my time in Baruch would be the most memorable part of my college experience; it makes sense, but in reality it’s my commute to and from Baruch that I find myself pondering upon the most.. It takes me around two hours to get from my house to Baruch. I wake up at 4:00 am. Before I go any further, I’d like to talk about the pain I go through to not be unconscious at that hour. In my high school years I woke up at 6:45 am, still early but manageable. I always got at least seven hours of sleep. But now, with my schedule and homework, I’m lucky if I get five.
This brings me onto my next issue, homework. Of course I was aware that college work would be challenging. I always assumed I’d somehow be able to manage it with ease. That was the most far fetched assumption I’ve ever made. I am definitely having difficulty balancing my social life with my academic life. Imagine a balance scale with a skittle on one side and a brick on the other. That is my life.
So now that that’s out of the way, I’ll go on to talk about the actual commute. One thing I suck at is punctuality. It’s just a bug I’ve had my whole life. So knowing this, you can probably guess that I am always missing my train. I kid you not, I somehow always manage to arrive just as the train is departing. And if I do manage to get onto the train, all of the seats are taken. Standing for an hour long train ride is annoying as hell, holding on to those nasty germ covered metal bars, not to mention the pins and needles you get on your feet.

Walking to Baruch is my favorite part of this journey. Passing all the stores and buildings, it’s a cool view. But one thing I’d prefer not to encounter on my walk are the “sidewalk salesmen”. I don’t know if that’s the proper terminology but you know who I mean. The dude shaking everyone’s hands, trying to push his mix-tape. Or the occasional servant of God, trying to save your soul from hellfire. You have to literally avoid eye contact with these guys because once that’s established, they suck you in for an endless presentation on whatever they’re pushing. These people I could do without. And finally, I get onto the Baruch campus and I’m safe. No more trains, subways, or mix-tapes. I can relax, until classes are over and I have to go through it all again.