Many students are back to in-person learning at Cal State LA, but that means taking the Metro, bus, or driving to campus again for commuter students. 

While some may see this as an inconvenience, biochemistry major Mallek Kherici is excited to be back. 

“I feel like going back to in-person isn’t a hard thing for me since I actually am looking forward to going back to school,” said Kherici. “I like to be active, and I like the idea of not being home staring at a screen for hours on end. It gets depressing, and as a person who likes school, it becomes harder. Not being able to communicate with your teacher face-to-face is also hard.”

Kherici lives about 45 minutes away from campus, so she anticipates having to wake up earlier and deal with traffic.

“I think going from online to in-person will be somewhat tricky,” she said. “But after a while, I’ll get used to it.”

Computer science major Natalie Perales knows that getting used to commuting to class again will be a change, but she is looking forward to it nonetheless. 

“Once we return, I will be using public transportation to attend my lectures and activities,” she said. “It will be a change to adjust after not stepping into a school setting for the past two years, but I know I will manage and everything will go well.”

Business management major Frida Cruz is optimistic about commuting to school again.

“I drive myself there, and it’s not that far of a drive,” she said. “I live about 15 minutes away. I’ve commuted to school last semester, and it wasn’t a hassle, so I think I’ll be okay.”

Cal State LA provides numerous transportation services that can help make commuting easier for students. The university has its own Metrolink train station on campus, a first among all Southern California universities. There are also local and express bus lines that serve the campus, operated by Metro and Foothill Transit. Both Metrolink and the bus lines offer monthly discounts for students.