St. Thomas commuter students trudged through about 3 inches of snow Monday in this fall’s the first snowfall.

Senior Matt Anderson credited slow traffic to the first snow of the year.

“Normally my trip to campus takes about 15 minutes, but this morning it took 25, so I don’t think the city was that prepared for it,” Anderson said.

Junior Hsin-Yu Hou said the snow is already having an effect on commuting.

“I take the shuttle to Minneapolis,” Hou said. “I was late 30 minutes. They moved very slow.”

Despite the setback, Hou, who is an international student from Taiwan, said this wintry weather was a new experience.

“I never have snow in my country,” Hou said. “I feel really excited and also really cold. And I have seen snow before but never like ice. It’s like solid ice.”

Although students are normally in favor of canceling class, sophomore Genevieve Gates said calling school off would have been a mistake.

“Save that for February when everybody hates their lives and there’s like 15 feet of snow,” Gates said. “It’s also a Monday, so it’s already going to suck, so might as well.”

Anderson said taking precautions while driving in winter weather is important to stay safe when commuting to class.

“I think the best strategy is just to leave earlier and give yourself more time so you don’t have to drive as fast,” Anderson said. “But you can also prepare your car for the winter by buying winter tires or other things.”

Amidst the commuting troubles of the year’s first snow, Anderson said all it takes to avoid ending up in an accident is a little bit of preparation.

“I would say to give yourself usually about three times as long as you would normally need,” Anderson said. “I just think the first big snow usually has a big impact.”