“Back in My Day, We Took More Than a Train to School”

For many at Stuyvesant High School, the school day starts long before first period. Lengthy commutes are a part of daily life for students, as they travel from all over New York City in order to make it to school on time. Many students report having to wake up before sunrise because their commute exceeds an hour. While long commutes are often seen as simply another part of attending Stuyvesant, they can significantly impact students’ schedules, energy levels, academics, and overall well-being.

Stuyvesant students are stereotypically known for getting little sleep. Students often joke about pulling all-nighters or surviving on only a few hours of rest. This truth is even harsher for those with especially long commutes. Junior Josh Arthur commutes for an hour and a half from the upper Bronx each morning. “I end up getting less sleep, which gives me less energy,” Arthur shared. The exhaustion caused by this daily travel extends far beyond simply feeling tired. Students feel the need to prioritize studying for upcoming tests or completing all their homework over sleep despite needing to wake up extremely early the next morning. Over time, consistently sacrificing sleep can lead to poor sleeping habits and constant fatigue.

Moreover, the lack of sleep caused by long commutes negatively impacts students’ focus and academic performance. Sophomore Sandra Dworniczak spends an hour commuting to school from Queens. Dworniczak shared, “Long commutes eventually tire students out and cause them to be less focused and have less energy during the school day, since they are getting lesser amounts of sleep compared to someone living closer to school.” Dworniczak’s mention of less energy generally contributes to a lack of participation in class discussions, falling asleep during lessons, or feeling increasingly overwhelmed during exams for many.

Sophomore Yitong Jiang, who has a two-hour commute from Staten Island, also emphasized this issue: “Long commutes can decrease students’ attention spans due to the lack of sleep, [which would] cause students’ grades to tank too, since it is more difficult to retain information being taught in class.” Students with longer commutes may struggle to stay awake during early morning classes and often spend additional time reteaching themselves material that they were too exhausted to fully absorb during class.

However, sleep deprivation is not the only challenge students with long commutes face. A longer commute means that students have to run a much more constrained schedule; they have to either compromise on being part of extracurricular activities and having a social life, or getting home at a reasonable time in order to attend to their academic responsibilities. Even without extracurriculars, many students already feel pressed for time because they arrive home late in the evening with minimal time to both finish assignments and study for tests, while simultaneously trying to relax before going to bed and having to repeat the cycle again the next day.

Over time, these students may feel like they are falling behind their peers both academically and socially, not because of a lack of effort, but because a major part of their day is spent traveling. Dworniczak shared, “I don’t necessarily feel isolated from school life, but I do feel that it causes some hesitation for me to participate in more rigorous extracurriculars such as a sport, robotics, and SING!.” For many students, it is difficult to commit to time-consuming school activities knowing they will still have homework, studying, and other responsibilities waiting for them once they finally get home. Although some activities like SING! offer ways for students to contribute remotely such as scriptwriting, long commutes greatly limit how involved students are able to be.

Jiang also discussed how her commute impacts her friendships and social life: “I’m usually the one who has to leave early because of my commute. It seems like my own circumstances are causing me to be left out of the group, which sometimes feels worse than getting left out on purpose.” The feeling of missing out that Jiang describes is a direct result of time constraints created by her commute. The social isolation and having to constantly juggle between prioritizing sleep, relationships, and school are grounds for experiencing mental fatigue.

Long commutes are made even more difficult by the unreliability and general chaos of public transportation. “[The hardest part of traveling so far] is missing the train and having to wait 15 minutes for the next train. Small delays often cause me to be late,” junior Ryan Lo explained. Even short disruptions can throw off students’ tightly packed schedules, especially when they rely on multiple trains or buses to get to school.

There is also the issue of overcrowding on trains and buses, especially during rush hour in the afternoons. Students are often forced into cramped spaces, making already exhausting commutes even more uncomfortable. Crowded trains also make it difficult for students to put down their heavy backpacks or complete homework while commuting. Junior Jana Marzouk, who commutes for a total of one hour and 20 minutes daily, shared, “Having to stand the entire train ride is a very difficult part of my commute, and it is not a rare event because trains are usually very crowded by the time it is 3:35 p.m.”

Jiang takes the ferry to get to Stuyvesant: “It is free for everyone, which means that you will encounter some very [peculiar] people there,” he shared. While the New York City public transportation system can be a vibrant experience—from musicians playing beautiful pieces on their violins or guitars on the street, to the dancers breakdancing and performing impossible stunts, to the rats scurrying about relentlessly on the tracks—it can also feel stressful or unsafe at times, especially during early mornings or late evenings. These experiences reveal another challenge of commuting: students constantly have to remain alert and prepared for unexpected situations while trying to get to and from school.

Although long commutes come with many challenges, some students have also found positives within the experience. For some, commuting provides time to catch up on sleep,  complete homework, or just relax. Students’ perspectives on commuting often vary depending on their own personal experiences. Sophomore Hana Fathony moved from Indonesia to Brooklyn, and now has a commute of about an hour from Bay Ridge to Stuyvesant. Reflecting on her experiences, Fathony shared, “I find a lot of fascination with the city’s subways and buses because I’ve never experienced public transportation that’s as accessible and frequently used as New York City’s. I don’t really mind my moderately long commute.” 

Fathony’s experience with transportation in other countries allows her to reflect more positively on the circumstances of her commute. “I’ve had to wake up at much earlier times for school in Indonesia, so I don’t mind waking up early all that much,” she explained. She also described how she uses her time on the train productively: “Since the phone ban, a lot of my homework is [on paper], thus I can complete my Latin, math, and AP World homework during my commute.” For some students, commuting becomes a period of productivity or relaxation that helps them manage Stuyvesant’s demanding workload. 

Although students with long commutes are often the most vocal about their experiences, many students with shorter commutes experience school very differently. Freshman Kaiya Stanton commutes approximately 15 minutes within Manhattan to get to Stuyvesant. “Being on the bus saves my energy for school so I can focus during the day,” she said. Stanton’s experience provides a contrasting perspective on commuting. Shorter commutes allow students to sleep more, arrive at school with more energy, and provide additional time for extracurriculars, homework, or other social activities after school.

Even so, long commutes have become a defining part of the Stuyvesant experience for students. While some students are able to wake up shortly before school begins, others spend hours each day traveling across boroughs to access the same educational opportunities. For these students, commuting is not simply an inconvenience or a tiring routine; it shapes nearly every aspect of their high school lives. The amount of time spent on trains, buses, and ferries often determines how much sleep students get, how involved they can be in extracurricular activities, how long they are able to socialize, and most importantly, how much energy they have left at the end of the day. 

At a school known for its demanding workload and competitive environment, long commutes quietly place some students at a disadvantage before the school day even begins. Students with especially long travel times are often forced to make sacrifices that others may never have to consider, whether that means leaving events early, skipping opportunities entirely, or staying up late to finish assignments after arriving home late at night. Despite these challenges, many students continue making these commutes every day because they value the opportunities that Stuyvesant provides. Their experiences reveal how deeply commuting influences student life academically, socially, and emotionally. At the same time, commuting also teaches many students resilience, independence, and time management skills that become an important part of their growth throughout high school.