You wake up to discover that you have 45 minutes until your first class. You get ready as quickly as you can and discover you have 20 minutes left as you are walking out the door.

The question is, how will you get there in 20 minutes? You know from experience it can take 15 minutes to get there if you jog, but you don’t want to be out of breath when you get there. Should you jog anyway, or consider taking the chance that you’ll catch a bus?

I have a habit of giving myself just enough time to get to class because I dislike arriving too early and prefer not getting up until I have to. Therefore, I ask have to ask myself this question from time to time, seeing as I live about a 10 minute walk from campus.

Fortunately, I currently have a bike that gets me to my first class in five minutes, but winter is coming. Since I am unwilling to risk another sharp turn on ice, I’ll have to look for other means for getting to class soon.

There are pros and cons to many of the common transportation methods. Having a car is beneficial and fast, but you’ll need to buy a parking permit, which is expensive, and car problems are your business. The bus systems are a good way to catch a quick ride, but now you have to rely on the chance of catching one at the right moment. Bikes are good for getting to class fairly quickly at no cost and even keeping you active, but as I mentioned, winter doesn’t really allow this to be an option. And of course, walking beats all of the above cons but at the cost of time.

So which is the best option? It all depends on what you can afford and what your personal preferences are. When it comes to winter, it depends on what I have time to do and how lucky I am with catching a bus. These are my preferences. What are yours?

I haven not tested out every single route using every single means of transportation, but I’ve been told that it takes 15 minutes to walk from Lubber’s Stadium to the center of campus. I also know from experience that it takes about 10 minutes to walk from either end of campus to the Performing Arts Center and the Kirkhof Center. Obviously, these times aren’t rock solid, but they can probably provide some insight.

All in all, how you get to and from your classes is your choice. I know there are also other ways that I haven’t listed, such as long boards. If you’re curious, check out a few different paths and see which is shorter. I remember discovering last year that cutting through one of the parking lots actually saves some time. Give it a try. Who knows, you might find something faster than what you’re already taking every day.