Some students travel on the road long before the ground fog has lifted and the sun remains nowhere to be seen. The crisp stillness of the air before first light waits for them as they prepare to hit the freeways for their hours-long commute to college at Long Beach State.
CSULB is known as a commuter campus with the majority of students opting to drive to campus. Some drive from Huntington Beach and other nearby areas.
However, some students have a burdensome drive of over three hours each way. According to a 2022 CSULB Student Transportation survey, 80% of students are commuters.
That same 2022 survey revealed that 34% of the students who drive over 16 miles are referred to as super commuters.
Marcela Carrillo is one of many super commuters on campus as she travels 240 miles roundtrip from Coachella Valley twice a week. Carrillo spends seven hours on the road, depending on traffic.
She gets up at 4 a.m., leaves in her 2022 Toyota Camry by 5 a.m. and arrives on campus at 8:30 a.m. Carrillo said he spends about $140 per week on gas.
When asked if she thought she had any health effects, Carrillo said she has discomfort from swollen feet after the drive but elevates them when she gets home.
“I became a full-time student, a full-time caregiver and then commuting on top of that,” Carrillo said.
As the daughter of a migrant farmer, long-distance drives are not new to the Carrillo family. Her father worked 647 miles away from their home.
Carrillo said she lived closer to campus when she first attended Long Beach State but eventually decided to move away.
“I didn’t start out driving this far.” I used to live five minutes away from campus with four roommates,” Carrillo said. “The shared housing situation didn’t work out.”
After her dad’s advice to look for an apartment failed to come about, they had to make a difficult choice.
“Prices in Long Beach are so high, we decided I would move back home,” Carrillo said.
The high cost of housing in Long Beach makes driving to campus from long distances the only option for some.
The average cost of renting an 800-square-foot apartment in Long Beach is between $1,884 and $2,943 per month, according to Zillow.
Carrillo will continue making the commute until graduation.
CSULB student Kristyna Ramirez shares a home with her family in Riverside County. She drives her 2019 Toyota Camry twice a week for two to three hours depending on traffic.
Ramirez said she spends approximately $180 per week on gas and is grateful to have a fuel-efficient car.
“My family thinks I’m crazy. They ask me why I drive so far,” Ramirez said
Her commute begins at 7 a.m. to make it to campus in time for her 9:30 a.m. class. Ramirez said listening to her music playlist makes her commute more enjoyable.
“That’s the good thing about me, I love being alone and I love music in general, so yeah I just go listen to music,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez said driving to campus is not without its challenges.
“When I’m stuck in traffic, I start overthinking a lot. I need to get this done or I’m behind with assignments or life in general. The drive back home is harder because I’m tired,” Ramirez said
Ramirez works a regular job in addition to a television internship in Burbank.
Despite facing long commutes to Long Beach State, students Carrillo and Ramirez have not let the high cost of living in Long Beach or their proximity to campus deter them from achieving their academic goals.