Mandatory choice programs, like the one currently in place in New York City, have created a situation in which many students commute to schools outside of the neighborhood they live in. While the intent is to provide expanded access, students often find themselves on public transportation commuting to schools they know very little about and where they have to create new social relationships. Employing a mix of methods, including interviews, surveys, and focus groups, this study explores students' experience as commuters, the extent of their integration into their new school community, and how a mix of commuter and local students affects the roles of teachers, guidance counselors, and principals.This study found that the mandated choice policy in the NYCDOE (1) resulted in students having extensive commutes that they described as lengthy and frustrating but regarded them as part of a sacrifice they had to make to attend a school in a neighborhood they perceived as better than their own, (2) this perception included what I call the "allure of Manhattan" in which Manhattan represented greater opportunity in comparison to students' own neighborhoods which were stigmatized by race and class (3) given the paucity of unscreened schools, students were left with having to cope with, and settle for, what their assigned high school could offer, (4) while students seemed to be effectively integrated into their new schools, they made a distinction between the transactional relationships they developed with their "school friends" and the deeper relationships they maintained with their more trusted "neighborhood friends" (5) assigned students to high schools with staff who were unfamiliar with students' lived experiences and how they could be used to create a more culturally responsive school. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]