commuting students
Commuting Students
Commuting to and from college can be challenging and you may feel that you don’t have the same opportunities as students who can live on or close to the campus. There are ways, however, of making use of the commuting time and enjoying all that life as a commuter has to offer!
Here are some tips which may help!
Food:
Many students and staff members bring their own lunches, both to avoid the queues in the canteen and to save money – bringing your own can also make sure that you have a well-balanced lunch each day!
Bring Your Own: You can bring your own lunch into any of the university canteens or restaurants but try to avoid the smaller venues at peak times!
Fridge: The Inter Faith Centre on the Glasnevin campus has a fridge which you can use to store your lunch until you are ready to eat – just make sure that you label it carefully and make sure you don’t forget to collect it before the end of the week. The fridge is emptied on Fridays to keep everything fresh.
Microwaves: Many students want to bring a hot lunch on campus but thermos flasks don’t always keep food warm! There is currently a microwave for general use in the kitchen in the Inter Faith Centre and more planned for the campuses in the coming weeks….watch this space!
DCU Healthy has some great cheap and healthy recipes / guides to lunch on the go!
Kettles: The Seomra Caidrimh on the St Pat's campus and the Inter Faith Centre on the Glasnevin campus provide boiling water free of charge.
Showers on Campus:
Sports Centre: Students have free access to showers in the Sports Centre until 9.45am Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours, there is a €2 charge for use of the showers – just present your student card at the reception!
Postgraduate Students have free access to showers all day in 1838!
Staying Active / Engaged:
It can be a very long day if you are hanging around campus all day, so make sure to use your time wisely. Try to structure your day so that you do some physical activity, take part in events and take full use of the facilities and opportunities on offer. You can also book a group study room in the library and work on projects with your classmates, so that you're not leaving this to evenings or weekends.
One of the advantages of not living close to the college is that you are not tempted to pop home for a nap mid-afternoon, so you can really use the time you have during the day!
DCU Sport Membership: A great way of using time in-between classes is to join the gym. Details on membership can be found here.
Events on Campus: Student Support & Development and the Students’ Union have a huge variety of activities happening on campus each day. Plan your week in advance so that you can relax in the evenings when you go home after a long day.
Quiet Spaces:
There is a variety of spaces on the campuses where you can relax and take some time out from a busy day! The Inter Faith Centre in Glasnevin has a Quiet Room, which is often used for meditation or simple quiet relaxation. The U Building is open from 7.30 and there is a multitude of nooks and crannies you can escape to!
On the St Patrick's campus, the Balcony area over the C Block has cosy bean bags where you can rest for a while! Students with autism or sensory processing challenges can register to use the Sensory Pods on any of our three teaching campuses!
Charging Stations:
Phone and Laptop charging stations can be found in the Inter Faith Centre and in the U on the Glasnevin Campus and in the Students’ Union on the St Patrick’s campus. You can lock the station and come back later to pick up your item!