Can You Spell that for Me?

            “Her name is so long. She’ll never learn to spell it.”

            This is what my mom’s best friend told her before I was born.

            After weeks of consideration, my parents had finally revealed what their second child would be called. They had fallen in love with the name Rebecca, but disliked the various nicknames, like Becky and Becca. (My dad would impersonate a clucking chicken, saying “Beck, Beck, Becky!”) Instead they designated Rebecca as my middle name.

            “Caroline Rebecca Consoli,” they proudly told their friend, eliciting her cynical remark. Despite her noted lack of confidence, my parents had already set my name is gold.

            My name is exactly 22 letters and 9 syllables long. It includes four of the five English vowels, yet only six of the twenty-one consonants. It’s not one of the longest names out there, but it’s not one of the shortest either.

            When I was a toddler, my parents enthusiastically taught me to spell my name. They used my older brother’s letter blocks to spell my name out.

            “C-A-R-O-L-I-N-E, R-E-B-E-C-C-A—oh dear; we’ve run out of the letter ‘c’.”

            Maybe my name was a mouthful to spell. However, I was determined to master its spelling. When I was four, my mom bought me a diary, and I filled the pages with my name. Caroline, Caroline, Caroline…

            By kindergarten I could write my first and last name like a pro. However, I continued to struggle over “Rebecca.” I ground many pencils to stubs puzzling over the combination of letters. Rebbeca? Rebbecca? Maybe it was fortuitous that my parents designated my middle name as Rebecca, and not my first; I didn’t think I would ever learn to spell it. At age seven, I complained to my mom that I was still perplexed over the letters.

            “Use this trick,” she explained, “to remember that ‘Rebecca’ has one ‘b’ and two ‘c’s.’ One comes before two, and ‘b’ comes before ‘c’.”

            One “b,” two “c’s.” This method stuck with me. Every time I wrote my middle name, I repeated this phrase like a mantra. In no time, I had mastered my name.

            I’m not shy to admit that I still use the “one ‘b,’ two ‘c’s’” method whenever I spell my middle name. I don’t mind; my name is unique, and I love it no matter how long it takes me to spell it.

           

           

Why Commute?

In high school, many of my friends talked about the college experience. “I want to live in a dorm,” they would say, “so I can get the full college experience.” Who determined that every college student must live on campus? Living in a dorm never appealed to me, for both social and financial reasons. When exploring colleges, I researched institutions that allowed me to live at home and commute. At the end of my search, I settled on the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, a 20- to 25-minute drive from my house.

After informing my friends of my decision, I could not ignore the looks on their faces that suggested I would not receive a “real” college experience. They equated commuting with (gasp!) community colleges, which they saw as inferior. Contrary to their belief, there is absolutely nothing wrong with community colleges; many are perfectly competent institutions. Based on their views, I wondered what disadvantages I would experience while attending a commuter college.

I am now in my second year at UNH Manchester, and I love it here. There are advantages of commuter colleges that I never realized during my college search. Therefore, in this blog I will share the good and bad experiences of commuting to college. If you are considering commuting to college, or already do so, I hope this blog can help you feel more confident with your college decision. 

 Photo courtesy of: http://content.wow.com/wiki/University_of_New_Hampshire_at_Manchester

 

Because UNH Manchester is a commuter college, everybody experiences some of the same challenges. Professors understand that commuting eats up precious time and money. Therefore, many classes occur once a week to minimize repetitive commuting. If you commute to a residential college, you may find that a class meets several times each week. What is convenient for a resident student is not always appreciated by a commuter.

In my future entries, I will discuss the challenges and hidden surprises I encountered during my first year commuting to college. Some of the topics will include: deciding where and when to study; eating meals on campus; finding time to work and play; getting involved; and adjusting to overall community. My goal is that this blog will help ensure that your college experience is an investment that pays dividends in enjoyment and success. 

Welcome!

Hello! My name is Caroline. Welcome to the College Commuter blog!