Major: Couch Surfing

As his eyes slowly open Chris Martin hears the sound of dishes being shuffled around on the counter, the coffee being brewed and yawning from all involved parties. He doesn't have class for another four hours, or any homework, nothing to do at all but he can't sleep in because he's on the couch.

Someone comes in with a bowl of cereal and Chris moves over so they can watch the top ten plays on ESPN before they head to class. He doesn't have a choice really, it's not his house. And with four other people living in the house, someone's always up early.

"I stay at friend's houses on the couch most of the time and I usually go home on the weekends. It definitely stinks not having my own place or any privacy." said Martin.

After a roommate decided to stay on campus, Martin missed out on an apartment for this year, leaving him a designated couch surfer. He spends the majority of nights at house full of fellow hockey players, where the practice schedules and interests keep them all on the same page.

This lifestyle has a number of effects on Martin besides having to get up as soon as anyone else decides to. He also has to commute on the weekends but lives over an hour away in Waterbury Vermont. Not having a place may mean he doesn't pay rent but there are more expenses involved with living however, which can also be expensive.

"It saves money in some ways like not paying rent, but it catches up with me when I add up other costs like food and gas. The only tricks I've learned to save money are to carpool more and find deals at places when I eat out." said Martin.

Being on the move constantly occupies his days with class and travel. What about when there's a large amount of time between classes? People who live on campus or right in town can go home for a bite to eat or a nap. Martin can't on the other hand, when asked about what he does with his down time between classes he had this to say.

"I try to be productive and do school work, but other than that I get a hold of friends and go hang out with them. We usually do things like play a round of Frisbee golf or Xbox."

Living primarily in one place he does buy food to chip in on meals and gets to make use of a kitchen. So now he has the basics covered, a place to sleep and food to eat all on a pretty reasonable budget.

Another expense you may not consider in this situation though is your social life. Most students rely on campus to mingle or spend some time hanging out with people or at their own place. If the place you're staying at is in Saint Johnsbury and no one who lives there happens to be home though, you need a backup plan. So Chris had to find a way to use all his time, so now socializing is an all-day event.

"I would say my social life has definitely increased since I'm constantly hanging around people when I don't have anything to do. I can't just go home to take a nap or study or hang out and watch TV, to do those things I have to go to someone's place which means that I am socializing all the time." said Martin.

Not having a place to live on campus isn't anyone's first choice, but for Chris Martin at least he has found a way to make it work. Saving a little money, trying to be productive and constantly hanging out with other people has made his semester more engaging and rewarding. Plus to top it all off, when the semesters over all he has to do is drive away, no packing required.