October 10th, 2025

By Shaelyn Clark

Just before the sun rises, an alarm goes off to signal the start of Haylee Leasure’s day. Rather than waking up in a bunk bed inside a cramped dorm room, Leasure rises in her own bedroom in Logan County, where she lives with her parents while attending Ohio University—about a 40-minute drive from campus.

As a commuter, Leasure travels back and forth between home and campus nearly every day, a routine she has maintained since her freshman year. Now a senior preparing to graduate in December, Leasure is approaching the end of her college journey, but her route has looked much different than that of other students.

When asked about her first year, Leasure recalled how limited her schedule was. “I was really only on campus three days a week, and so a lot of the meetings or events would be on those days, or they would be at night,” she said. “And it’s really unrealistic for me to come here in the morning, do all my classes, and either wait four hours on campus or drive all the way home and back. Driving wasn’t really realistic, considering the gas money and the time it would take, and it being dark on campus and walking alone at night, which is kind of nerve-wracking.”

While living on campus is typically required for freshmen at Ohio University, there is a 50-mile rule that allows students who live close enough to commute instead of staying in a dorm. However, this option can come with trade-offs. During their first year, most students are placed in learning communities, which help them build friendships and learn about campus life with peers in their major. Commuters, however, often miss out on this immediate sense of community and connection.

Leasure described the difficulties of finding her footing without that early support. Balancing a new schedule, long drives, and limited parking options made it challenging to fully engage in campus activities. Commuters often have to leave early in the morning to secure parking and stay later into the evening to make the most of their time on campus. For many, this leads to missing out on the “college experience.”

“I don’t really find myself coming to campus for any special reason, like to hang out with people or go to events,” Leasure said. “It’s very inconvenient for me most of the time, and I have other things I have to do at home.”

Many imagine college as a time to make lifelong friends, explore new interests, and discover one’s independence. Yet, as Leasure explained, when commuting adds hours to the day and gas prices cut into a student’s budget, it becomes harder to justify staying on campus longer than necessary.

Ohio University’s student population reflects how many young adults balance school, work, and financial independence. According to College Factual (2020), “Athens has a comparatively very large student body. There were 19,284 undergraduates in 2020. Full-time attendance was 14,676 (76.1%), and part-time attendance was 4,608 (23.9%)” (para. 1). 

Marilyn Greathouse, a junior who lives off-campus, also knows the strain of independence. Like many OU students, Greathouse works to support their lifestyle without financial help from family. Paying for groceries, rent, and personal expenses often leaves little room for extras, such as club fees or social outings.

“I don’t like asking my family for money that much,” Greathouse said. “I try to make rent on my own to not bother them. But they’re there if I really need them.”

That mindset—wanting to stand on one’s own while knowing help is limited—defines the reality for many students balancing academic and financial pressures. Even small expenses can add up quickly, and unexpected costs can throw off a carefully planned budget.

“It’s a lot of not spending my money on useless stuff that I want to spend it on,” Greathouse explained. “Sometimes it gets a little hard because I have a cat, and he brings up some unknown expenses sometimes. Luckily, my car hasn’t had any issues yet, so there haven’t been extra expenses there.”

For students like Leasure and Greathouse, college is not defined by dorm life or club meetings but by resilience, self-discipline, and sacrifice. Their experiences highlight a side of college life that is often invisible—the students who wake up early to beat traffic, who skip social events to work extra shifts, and who bear the financial weight of independence at a young age.

There may never be a perfect solution to balance affordability, connection, and time, but awareness matters. Not every college journey follows the same path, and not every student has the same access to support. For commuters and financially independent students, success often means showing up—day after day, mile after mile—proving that dedication, not proximity, defines the college experience.

References: College Factual. (2020). Ohio University–Main Campus student demographics. Retrieved from https://www.collegefactual.com