Commuting to CM—by Conor McWain '08

Since my first day at CM in 9th grade I was worried about joining such a large school that was so far away from my home, compared to the small school I went to when I was growing up in Holbrook. It's a question a lot of people have asked me: why go to a school so far away? The answer is that I felt so comfortable here that the commute was never an issue.

For four years now, I've had to wake up earlier than most students I know. I get up at 6:00 to get ready to leave by 6:15, while most kids are just waking up or waking up at 7:15 and might be in walking distance or a short bus ride to school. My commute is about fifteen miles, and it takes me 30 minutes. During the blizzard last month, it took me two hours just to get home! On most mornings I can make it to school in twenty minutes if I wake up early enough to beat the traffic.

Like a lot of students, I took the CM-provided vans for my first two years here, which picked me up at 6:30. If I was late at all, I wouldn't have a ride to school! Starting to drive at the end of my junior year was liberating, compared to those first two years. I could work on my own schedule if I was late and I could go see friends, although many also live far away from me. Nowadays, gas prices are so high that I'm grateful that I'm already in my fourth year so that I won't be spending so much on gas while commuting. Driving a sophomore to school this year helps because he pays for half the gas price.

There are definitely pros and cons to coming from far away. But coming to school in West Roxbury while still living in Holbrook gives me the lifestyle of living outside the city while still giving me the important experience of city life.