The Mesquite Online News - Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Commuter students motivated to go the distance

Data provided by the office of institutional research shows the highest concentrations of where A&M-San Antonio students reside, indicating a high proportion of commuting students.  The map show students counts for the top 22 zip codes, accounting for nearly 56% of Spring 2014 enrollment. The remaining 44% is spread out among more than 200 other zip codes.
Data provided by the office of institutional research shows the highest concentrations of where A&M-San Antonio students reside, indicating a high proportion of commuting students. The map show students counts for the top 22 zip codes, accounting for nearly 56% of Spring 2014 enrollment. The remaining 44% is spread out among more than 200 other zip codes.

By Samone Lindsey

Many students at this university endure long commutes to attend class. Whether it’s driving an hour each day, or taking three buses, students from all over the city are traveling the distance to pursue their goals.

Education senior Jessica Woodlarksi said despite the lengthy travel to school, she’s motivated by her upcoming graduation.

“Even though it takes me anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes to commute to and from school, I have to think of the big picture and that’s graduation in a few short months,” Woodlarksi said.

While Texas A&M-San Antonio was originally formed to bring affordable educational opportunities to the South Side of the city, the highest concentration of students live on the north and northwest sides of San Antonio, according to zip code data released by the office of institutional research during Spring 2014.

Although students who live by Sea World live closer to the University of Texas at San Antonio, the cost of attending this university is far more affordable, they say.

Tuition and fees is $9,082 for an undergraduate resident student at UTSA taking 15 credit hours per semester for the 2014-2015 academic year. For the same number of credit hours at A&M-San Antonio, tuition and fees equal $3,618 per semester.

Biology junior Dean Jones is one of the many students who finds it a constant struggle to endure traffic on a daily basis driving to and from campus.

“I am coming from the UTSA area, and I hate driving to classes all the way on this side of town,” he said.

Jones says his aspirations to become a doctor motivates him to continue the tedious commute.

“I constantly tell myself this is only the beginning of my career,” Jones says.

History senior Beatrice Sanchez says she spends about four hours of her day commuting to campus. From North Star Mall, she takes three buses before arriving on campus.

Even though Sanchez spends so much time getting to school, she’s optimistic it’ll be worth it in the end.

“At the end of the day my education will set me apart,” she said. “I will never have to ride a bus again.”

About the Author

Samone Lindsey
Samone is a communications student, athlete, and professional communicator. She understands how to diversify and market her abundance of communication and journalism skills. Samone has four years experience in the field of internal and external communication, public relations and marketing. She treats communication as a performance. It's simple to grasp; if it isn't funny or relevant enough, people lose interest. Samone has a special concentration in personal branding and she believes the road to success is doing; unlike others, who believe it’s all in the try, Samone hates the word try. A native of Houston, Texas she goes after trending topics and is determined to be the best that she can be.

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