Inevitably, every student will have two classes back to back, with seemingly no hope of making it all the way from Alison Hall to McDowell on time. In those first few months of school, it can be confusing and difficult to balance a new workload with new stresses of making classes on time. As the temperature drops and speed walking seems like a more realistic and less sweaty option, other modes of transportation should also be considered. Everything from a car to a scooter can be useful at this university, and even free up time outside of class.
The first and obvious choice for many is to simply use their legs to propel movement towards the classroom. Walking does not require parking, you do not have to follow any timetables, and it is a good option to remain healthy (and impress your Fitbit or Apple Watch). One big benefit, especially for first year students, is the ease of grouping up with new friends if you are both headed in the same direction. While walking is a viable option, it is also slow and can be made unpleasant depending on weather conditions. Let’s speed things up a bit.
If you wear Vans, you probably have at least thought about learning to skateboard. Now is the time, with one kick of propulsion and a little bit of gravity you can make it pretty far. If you don’t have the time to learn, an electric skateboard will ease the struggle of going uphill, but also set you back quite a bit of money. If these options are not particularly appealing, scooters offer all the same advantages with some extra stability. Either way, your commute times will no doubt decrease, but skateboarding may be tricky to learn at first and it can sometimes seem too fast for the sidewalk but too slow for the streets.
One of the most common options aside from walking is using a bicycle. Even faster than skateboarding, biking can make a twenty-minute walk into a five-minute ride. Personally, I’ve been saved from being late to class by using my bike on too many occasions. Again, this option is very good for your health, if that’s of interest, and you can also avoid bad weather by powering through the wind and rain. With ample parking racks by every university building, and bike lanes throughout Newark, the main negatives of biking – stolen bikes and car drivers – are greatly reduced.
If you feel like showing off your ride and paying way too much for a parking spot you could even bring your car to campus. It is extremely handy for trips to the beach or to the mall, but I wouldn’t recommend taking the whip to class. Not only will you have to pay more for metered parking at each parking location, but you probably won’t even save much time between the specific lots and construction-induced traffic. The far more sensible road-going transport option would be the very convenient and efficient UD Shuttle system. The DoubleMap app allows you to track the buses in real time and plan your stops and schedule around the timetable. The strict schedule means that sometimes buses just won’t have the right timing for you, but if you have a class at South Campus, you’ll be glad this option is provided.
Overall, with the multitude of options available, any student will be able to find a way to make their classes on time, and even use saved time to get more work done. I choose to keep a balance between using my old bike and walking to class, and often end up walking my bike back with fellow classmates, but I also have a car on campus for the weekend. It’s completely up to the individual, and they can decide any number of ways how to stay on top of their schedule.
*Image obtained from https://media.thetab.com/blogs.dir/145/files/2016/04/bikes-udel.jpg
