Duarte
Viewpoint by Faith Duarte
fduarte3@student.alamo.edu
Ever since I joined The Ranger in fall 2011, I decided that Texas State University would be my first choice as an in-state school when I was ready to transfer.
My plans were simple: I would graduate in May with an associate degree in journalism, transfer to the university in the fall and complete my upper division requirements in two years.
Of course, life often gets in the way and events don’t always happen as planned.
The Bobcat Tram Interurban service at Texas State provides roundtrip transportation from San Antonio to San Marcos and Austin to San Marcos.
The university will end its shuttle services to commuters and the general public Aug. 26.
The end of the shuttle service could affect potential transfer students from this college who were counting on the service to attend classes there without having to drive or move to San Marcos.
According to The University Star, a survey of interurban commuters found that 25 percent of respondents said they would not be able to attend classes without the tram service.
I, along with two other Ranger editors graduating this semester, would have been among those students who used the tram service to attend classes in San Marcos.
Briefly, we pondered the possibility of scheduling classes together to ease the transition of transferring to a university.
At the moment, I do not own a car, nor do I have the means to buy one.
I intend to avoid debt after graduation by not applying for loans so that also is out of the question.
As of right now, it seems I won’t be able to experience walking those infamous steep campus hills I hear other transfer students complain about.
I won’t be able to use the university’s databases and have free online access to the Associated Press Stylebook — a bible for journalists — and I’ll have to continue to buy a new copy every year to remain up-to-date on any changes in AP style.
The now more-than-unlikely possibility of attending Texas State has me considering different future options, though I do not view the entire experience negatively.
Maybe I will take a semester off after graduation and save up in hopes of attending Texas State a semester later than I expected.
Otherwise, I should take this as a sign and instead apply to my first choice school, San Francisco State University.
I know the Bay Area Rapid Transit service will keep running for the foreseeable future.
At least, I think it will.
