Table of Contents Introduction—So, you want to commute to campus? Document Design—The who, what, and how behind this student commuter guide. What’s a “Commuter” Student? Do you fit the bill? Commuting Challenges—No more waking up at 8:00 for you 8:05 class. Tips for Success—Take charge of your academic life. Transportation—WolfTrails, Wolfline, and GoPass. Parking—For free and for a fee. Textbooks—Buying, renting, exchanging, etc. Dining—Hillsborough, Western, Mission Valley, and Cameron Village. Computing—Computer labs and printing. Helpful phone numbers—Who you gonna call? Introduction Commuting to class on a daily basis can be a hassle, but it can save you money. At NC State, housing costs $5,480 and a meal plan costs at least $2,000 annually, according to rates from the 2014-15 academic year. So if you lived on campus for four years, you would spend nearly $30,000—not including tuition or textbooks! But commuting is an adjustment. You need to find some way to get to class, whether it’s taking the bus or your bike. If you drive to campus, you’ll have to find a consistent parking place. You’ll most likely be eating meals at campus, which gets expensive if you don’t have a meal plan. And if you forgot to print your paper last-minute, you’ll want information about computer use and printing. This guide for NC State student commuters will touch on all of these topics and more. I lived on campus for my first three years of college, but moved home with my parents my last year to save money. From my house to my first class, my commute was about 45 minutes one way. I filled up my gas tank once a week and had long breaks in between classes during my eight-hour days. Saving money was difficult for me during my first semester. It was convenient to eat at Talley Student Center for lunch every day with friends who still lived on campus, but costs added up quickly. There has to be a way to save money here, I thought. So I researched any advice and any resources NC State had for commuter students. Finding information took a lot of digging. Since I didn’t find an all-inclusive resource, I decided to make my own guide for commuters. This document became a personal project which I even submitted as a final presentation for a technical document design class my fall semester. Document Design This commuter guide was created and edited by Casey Reep. This document was last updated on March 28, 2015. The document uses the Babel Sans font by Manfred Klein and the Headline font by HPLHS Prop Fonts. The title page collage and watermark, titled “NC State Visuals,” in this document is a combination and derivative of the following images: “Tompkins Hall – NC State” by Melizabethi123 is licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. “Andrew Brackman basketball NC State” by maggieandcharles is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “Freeexpressiontunnel-ncsu” by Ducttapeavenger was released into the public domain. “NCSU Belltower” by Thunder8 was released into the public domain. “NCSU DH HILL Library” by Thunder8 was released into the public domain. “Ncsutower2” by Kamran rab is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. “Ncsuband1” by BiscuitFarmer is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. “NC State Smokestack” by Scott Akerman is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “Creamery @ NCSU Library” by orionpozo is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “learningspaces (45)-ncsu” by Chad Kainz is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares” by Suzie Tremmel is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “Talley Student Center, NC State” by -ted is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “Live Life Well…” by Suzie Tremmel is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “Walkway” by -ted is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “DSC_0030” by ncrob1 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. “20100620-IMG_4745” by Chris MacLeod is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. “NC State University” by Suzie Tremmel is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “DSCN0184” by Christine Schmidt is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “College of Engineering Building II, North Carolina State University (2013)” by Cgb628 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. “Hunt Library, NC State Univ.” by Payton Chung is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “NC State Visuals” is licensed under CC BY SA 3.0 by Casey Reep. This document is interactive, and as such there are links to online sources and links to topics from the table of contents. What’s a “commuter” student? Commuter students are what NC State calls students who live somewhere other than university housing—residence halls and apartments including Wolf Village and ES King Village. They live off campus and get to school by riding university and city buses, carpooling, driving, biking, or walking. Commuters have diverse living arrangements. They may live with their parents or guardians at home, with friends at apartment complexes, or by themselves. If these situations describe you, then you are part of the 73% of students at NC State who are commuters. Commuting Challenges Commuting is a drastic change from on-campus living that brings its own set of problems. You may not be as involved in on-campus activities and programs as you would be if you lived in a dorm. You’ll need to make campus feel like home by getting involved. You’ll likely have to rely on other people to get you to school if you carpool or take a bus. If you drive yourself, you’ll find that parking spaces are limited and hard to come by during peak hours. (NC State has a C-rating for parking.) A lot of events happen at odd hours, which may not be convenient if you work after class or have a relatively long commute. Clubs and student organizations meet in the evenings, sporting events take place on nights and weekends, and group project meetings may be late at night. Last-minute notifications can be frustrating, like when professors send out class cancellation emails after you’re halfway to class. NC State stresses on-campus housing as a way to get connected with the campus, but you can make the most of your own experience. Tips for Success Use your time as a commuter student to focus on academics and social life, and ensure that you are making the most of your off-campus experience. Here are a few ways you can excel as a commuter: Prepare for travel delays. Car trouble, late (or early) buses, or heavy traffic may alter your travel times to campus. Allow a little leeway so that you’re not rushing to class. Attend campus events. Get involved and meet friends by joining clubs and organizations. Take advantage of free parking by going to NC State football and basketball games during the school year. Keep up with what happens on campus. Check your school email regularly for updates on class cancellations, adverse weather, last-minute homework assignments, and campus events. Stay on campus between classes. If you have a three-hour break between classes, stay on campus instead of going back to your residence. You can get homework done, study for a test, or eat lunch with some friends. Use your breaks wisely to make the most of your time. Take advantage of commuter benefits. NC State offers free and reduced-price transportation options for commuters. Carpoolers can split the cost of a commuter parking pass. Commuters who live several miles from campus can park for free at three park-and-ride lots. And all students can request a GoPass to ride city buses for free. Transportation Getting to class on a daily basis is harder when you live off campus. You can’t just roll out of bed five minutes before class starts and still arrive on time. Start planning out your commute long before classes start in the fall semester. NC State offers free public transportation for students through university bus services, and it partners with Raleigh bus services to provide students with free rides. Make sure to keep up with NC State’s transportation office to see updates and improvements to campus transit. WolfTrails Commuter Incentive Program Instead of driving yourself to campus, you can use WolfTrails, NC State’s alternative transportation options. By biking, walking, taking transit, or carpooling, you have the opportunity to earn commuter benefits. If you participate in the commuter incentive program, you will receive six daily scratch-off permits to use in the Varsity lot during the academic year. NC State says the overall benefits of finding alternative transportation to campus include reducing wear and tear on your personal vehicle, saving money, and reducing your carbon footprint. Students who carpool receive a commuter parking permit that is valid in Coliseum Deck, Dan Allen Deck, West Deck, Perimeter lots, and Varsity lots. Parking permits cost $336, split between carpoolers. Review the student carpool policies and fine print before applying. To be eligible for the program, you must live at least a half-mile outside the “Wolfline buffer.” To apply for the commuter incentive program, visit the WolfTrails Commuter Benefits Application. Wolfline Bus Wolfline is NC State’s public bus service, free for students and the general public. Buses run every day that classes are in session. Eleven routes operate during the regular academic year. Download the free TransLoc Rider app from iTunes or Google Play to find a bus. Ten bus routes serve Main Campus and shuttle students around the surrounding area during the day: The Main Campus circulating buses are Route 2 Hillsborough Shuttle, Route 5 Varsity, and Route 7 Wolflink Shuttle.