Cerritos College, or any school for that matter, is full of students from many different cities, and for some, it isn’t easy getting to campus.
Taking a car, bus, bike or even walking takes extra time thanks to the traffic on Alondra, and it makes students late.
It is extremely important to not be late for your first day of the semester considering your professor can drop you at will.
For students that have problems with getting to school, here are some tips that could decrease the stress and get students where they need to be on time.
1. Leave and wake up earlier rather than later.
Depending on how far the travel is, it is probably best to wake up in time to leave at least one hour before class starts.
This is useful for students that use the freeway too, if it takes longer than an hour to get to campus, leave two hours earlier, so there is no rush.
Getting to campus early creates opportunities to catch up on homework, prepare for class, study for any tests, or run other errands on campus that need to be completed. For students with vehicles, getting to campus early also gives more time to find parking.
2. Don’t be afraid of a little walk; park in the back.
Many students like to park in the front, but for just a few extra minutes of walking, parking in the back might actually be better, because the lot is bigger, and there are less cars too, so there is no need to hunt for parking.
Many students suffer from being late to class because transportation issues, whether it’s traffic or even when the parking lot in the front of the school gets full.
Plus, it’s good exercise.
There are bike racks for bicycles, so there isn’t too much of a hassle for bike users.
3. Use an app to make sure you don’t miss your bus.
Buses work differently, and sometimes leaving an hour earlier may not be enough.
Whether it’s a local city bus like the Norwalk Transit or the Metro, a missed bus can ruin a student’s schedule.
Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not take the latest bus before class begins.
There exist several apps or online bus schedules that help, but using the NextBus website or app is by far the most helpful.
The app and website use your location to show you the location and the approximate arrival of the next bus (or buses) around your area.
From time to time the bus tends to be late from when it is scheduled to arrive, and sometimes it may not even show up until the next time.
4. Check the weather.
If you drive, traffic can be extremely hectic when it rains.
It seems as if though people forget how to drive when water starts falling from the sky.
Use a weather app or check your morning news to make sure you aren’t caught in the unexpected traffic being caused by El Niño.
5. Buy a parking permit
Zoology major Lupe Barron is using a new daily parking permit dispenser in a parking lot at Cerritos College.
If you’re driving to school on a regular basis, owning a parking pass is extremely convenient and saves an immense amount of time.
At Cerritos College, parking is free for everyone on the first week of school which means students can easily park and get straight to class.
However, the second week is a completely different story.
The parking machines on campus become flooded with students making long lines to get a $2 parking pass.
To make matters worse, the machines can be unreliable at times and stop working, which means students will need to wait for campus police to either fix the broken machine, or give you a day pass.
If you own a parking pass, you can easily avoid this hassle and save a lot of money.
Whether you’re trying to make it to class on time for your first day or you’re simply tired of walking into to class in the middle of lecture, use these tips to make your Cerritos College experience a tad bit less hectic.
