The Student Room Group

Benefits of staying at University

Hey,
I just wanted to know some of the positive points about staying at University rather then commuting everyday because i have to convince my mum to allow me to stay there :biggrin:.
Ty for reading

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Reply 1
Just tell your mum that: 'I'll be closer to the university library so can study for longer hours, right into the evening, and will therefore get better grades'.

Will do the trick.
Reply 2
Original post by Pandabär
Just tell your mum that: 'I'll be closer to the university library so can study for longer hours, right into the evening, and will therefore get better grades'.

Will do the trick.


She'll just say that, "You can study on the train while your commuting"
:frown:
Original post by saim101
She'll just say that, "You can study on the train while your commuting"
:frown:


Trains can be very noisy :wink:
Reply 4
Original post by saim101
Hey,
I just wanted to know some of the positive points about staying at University rather then commuting everyday because i have to convince my mum to allow me to stay there :biggrin:.
Ty for reading


Well if you have group course work to participate in, and I had loads, then staying at the university will make meeting up after hours all that more easier. The people who were not staying at university did suffer in my course as they could not take advantage of all the meetings we needed to have. xx
Original post by saim101
Hey,
I just wanted to know some of the positive points about staying at University rather then commuting everyday because i have to convince my mum to allow me to stay there :biggrin:.
Ty for reading


Originally I thought that staying at home had more benefits. After all, there was the option of a car, no need to cook or do your own laundry and you have more time and space to get on with your work. Oh, how naive I must have been.

I moved out half way through my final year. Yes, you'll have more fun because you're closer to your mates. Yeah, you'll also meet way more people. But these are just side points. What actually gets you is that you really do more work at uni in your room.

There are less distractions than at home. At home, you're in your own environment and you do tend to just relax or slack off a little more often. At university, it's more like a study room. I can't explain it. While you have lectures, it's almost a compulsion to do well. You don't just drive off back home and escape the 'university world', you're still in it. You'll constantly think about the lectures you have, the assignments you need to do and the exams that are imminent. At least that's how it was for me.

I guess I'll let you know when I get my results for my final year, but right now it really does feel like I've worked harder and understood the content better purely because I was closer. Even lecturers would email me back and say, 'if you're free now we can talk about the difficulties you have' and I'd be like, 'give me 5 minutes, I'll be right there'. After a 5 minute walk I'm there, sitting opposite the lecturer, and all my difficulties are gone.

All in all, it's advantageous if you take advantage of how close to are to your mates and your lecturers. It's really not if all you intend to do is mess about and waste your student loan on booze, since you probably could have done that from home and crashed on a friend's sofa/bed/floor. (Although if you're thinking of staying in during first year, don't... move out, half fun, get it out of your system before second year then buckle down).
Original post by saim101
Hey,
I just wanted to know some of the positive points about staying at University rather then commuting everyday because i have to convince my mum to allow me to stay there :biggrin:.
Ty for reading


I insisted that my son applied to Uni's that were not in commuting range, he quite fancied the "soft option". I wanted him to get the best result possible not only academically but in terms of social challenge and development. Glad I did, he graduated last summer, and started his new career in September, which is even further away from home (in this market one cannot be choosy on location) and all the skills he learnt when living out in shares for the second two years at Uni were key as he can manage bills, budget etc, and knew how to handle an untidy lazy house mate he rented with when he first started work.

I cannot understand why parents want to constrain their kid's opportunities,
development and prospects, especially now the student takes out significant loans and has to be very mobile in the job market.

If all else fails book your accomodation and just get someone to take you when the time comes, the person who does this is not at risk as you will be over 18 and an adult. Your mom will get used to it in time.
Well she is wrong. Trains are distracting. There's people moving up and down and talking and the train itself is moving and it's difficult to concentrate on the book while there's scenery outside.

Also at university there's other people that are like minded. If you get stuck on anything you could just discuss it with one of your housemates (much more convenient than calling them from 2 hours away and trying to explain a problem that's supposed to be on paper).

Also the general access to university facilities. In my uni students have 24 hour cards to labs and libraries.
Reply 8
Original post by evening sunrise
I insisted that my son applied to Uni's that were not in commuting range, he quite fancied the "soft option". I wanted him to get the best result possible not only academically but in terms of social challenge and development. Glad I did, he graduated last summer, and started his new career in September, which is even further away from home (in this market one cannot be choosy on location) and all the skills he learnt when living out in shares for the second two years at Uni were key as he can manage bills, budget etc, and knew how to handle an untidy lazy house mate he rented with when he first started work.

I cannot understand why parents want to constrain their kid's opportunities,
development and prospects, especially now the student takes out significant loans and has to be very mobile in the job market.

If all else fails book your accomodation and just get someone to take you when the time comes, the person who does this is not at risk as you will be over 18 and an adult. Your mom will get used to it in time.


My mum is paying for my University so she has the final say :/
All i can do is argue my points and try and convince her to let me go :biggrin:.

I'd like to say ty to every1 who replied and i shall be discussing this with my mum today :smile:
Original post by evening sunrise
I cannot understand why parents want to constrain their kid's opportunities, development and prospects, especially now the student takes out significant loans and has to be very mobile in the job market.


I think a lot of parents really coddle their kids nowadays and are fearful of the things they might get up to if left to their own devices in an environment such as university halls.

My parents weren't keen for me to move to halls when I was in commuting distance, and it wasn't really due to the cost factor either. Overall it is definitely better to live in halls and be amongst your peers, for both social, independence and academic factors.

However I'm still glad I've got the offer to live with them at home when I graduate since I'd rather save up and buy a house than be pissing my money away on rent, which is extortionate here.
Original post by Smack
I think a lot of parents really coddle their kids nowadays and are fearful of the things they might get up to if left to their own devices in an environment such as university halls.

My parents weren't keen for me to move to halls when I was in commuting distance, and it wasn't really due to the cost factor either. Overall it is definitely better to live in halls and be amongst your peers, for both social, independence and academic factors.

However I'm still glad I've got the offer to live with them at home when I graduate since I'd rather save up and buy a house than be pissing my money away on rent, which is extortionate here.


Our son would have returned home after graduating, but his job is even further north in Derby, so unfortunately he is pissing his money away on rent.

Good luck with the job hunt.
Original post by wanderlust.xx
Originally I thought that staying at home had more benefits. After all, there was the option of a car, no need to cook or do your own laundry and you have more time and space to get on with your work. Oh, how naive I must have been.

I moved out half way through my final year. Yes, you'll have more fun because you're closer to your mates. Yeah, you'll also meet way more people. But these are just side points. What actually gets you is that you really do more work at uni in your room.

There are less distractions than at home. At home, you're in your own environment and you do tend to just relax or slack off a little more often. At university, it's more like a study room. I can't explain it. While you have lectures, it's almost a compulsion to do well. You don't just drive off back home and escape the 'university world', you're still in it. You'll constantly think about the lectures you have, the assignments you need to do and the exams that are imminent. At least that's how it was for me.

I guess I'll let you know when I get my results for my final year, but right now it really does feel like I've worked harder and understood the content better purely because I was closer. Even lecturers would email me back and say, 'if you're free now we can talk about the difficulties you have' and I'd be like, 'give me 5 minutes, I'll be right there'. After a 5 minute walk I'm there, sitting opposite the lecturer, and all my difficulties are gone.

All in all, it's advantageous if you take advantage of how close to are to your mates and your lecturers. It's really not if all you intend to do is mess about and waste your student loan on booze, since you probably could have done that from home and crashed on a friend's sofa/bed/floor. (Although if you're thinking of staying in during first year, don't... move out, half fun, get it out of your system before second year then buckle down).


Original post by evening sunrise
I insisted that my son applied to Uni's that were not in commuting range, he quite fancied the "soft option". I wanted him to get the best result possible not only academically but in terms of social challenge and development. Glad I did, he graduated last summer, and started his new career in September, which is even further away from home (in this market one cannot be choosy on location) and all the skills he learnt when living out in shares for the second two years at Uni were key as he can manage bills, budget etc, and knew how to handle an untidy lazy house mate he rented with when he first started work.

I cannot understand why parents want to constrain their kid's opportunities,
development and prospects, especially now the student takes out significant loans and has to be very mobile in the job market.

If all else fails book your accomodation and just get someone to take you when the time comes, the person who does this is not at risk as you will be over 18 and an adult. Your mom will get used to it in time.


Original post by Dragonfly07
Well she is wrong. Trains are distracting. There's people moving up and down and talking and the train itself is moving and it's difficult to concentrate on the book while there's scenery outside.

Also at university there's other people that are like minded. If you get stuck on anything you could just discuss it with one of your housemates (much more convenient than calling them from 2 hours away and trying to explain a problem that's supposed to be on paper).

Also the general access to university facilities. In my uni students have 24 hour cards to labs and libraries.


Original post by Smack
I think a lot of parents really coddle their kids nowadays and are fearful of the things they might get up to if left to their own devices in an environment such as university halls.

My parents weren't keen for me to move to halls when I was in commuting distance, and it wasn't really due to the cost factor either. Overall it is definitely better to live in halls and be amongst your peers, for both social, independence and academic factors.

However I'm still glad I've got the offer to live with them at home when I graduate since I'd rather save up and buy a house than be pissing my money away on rent, which is extortionate here.


Totally agree. I say to the OP, move out regardless. I'm moving out - I really can't stay with my parents anymore, and I need to focus on my education and have my distance and independence. Also I don't want to move back, but that's another matter.

Also I say to the OP, get a student loan.

EDIT: I know people who commuted to uni and they really did stuggle and suffer as a result because they were often so tired from communting. One girl (who couldn't move out) was so tired and she ended up losing weight so eventually she had to change universities (which isn't a simple process if I am not mistaken).
(edited 11 years ago)
a friend of mine commuted to uni and it was terrible for him. he couldn't pick the modules he preferred as the classes for them started at 9am, having to pass up modules that were related directly to his career choice, so that's put him at a major disadvantage. he also had to miss his class that ended at 6 as that's when the last train home was, and couldn't stay later and work on his projects using the university's facilities (which he didn't have at home). he also found it extremely difficult to do group work as he couldn't meet up with his coursemates outside of classes unless they all happened to have a gap between lessons, which didn't happen often. not to mention it must have been exhausting. he did this for up until christmas, then moved into student housing and his grades, motivation and relationships with his lecturers and coursemates have really improved. plus he actually saves money from not having to travel as the rent is cheaper!
it's going to directly affect your education, so i don't see why she'd make you do it, other than to shelter you. what are her reasons?
Original post by saim101
She'll just say that, "You can study on the train while your commuting"
:frown:


explain you will be tired from commuting therefore too tired to study when you get home
Depending on how far you are away from uni, living in halls can actually be cheaper than / similar price to commuting.

I always find that I work better at uni - working at home is nigh on impossible because my family don't understand that I can't always be there to look after the elderly relatives / go to the supermarket / do x / y / z, because I need to do work, and that involves long periods of interrupted time. My flatmates don't interrupt like that.

Being involved in societies (which can, in itself, be beneficial to your career, and is always beneficial to your enjoyment) will be much easier / not impossible if you live in halls. Often the activities put on (not just socials!) will require transport outside the times that public transport operates; some sports societies start their day at 6.15am; others won't finish until 10/11pm at night.

And it will make you more independent, and make you learn how to cook etc. etc., within a fairly safe environment - halls have both security and pastoral support, which cannot be said for the private housing that people live in for subsequent years, so it's best to be broken in easily in halls.
Original post by saim101
Hey,
I just wanted to know some of the positive points about staying at University rather then commuting everyday because i have to convince my mum to allow me to stay there :biggrin:.
Ty for reading


To add to what others say, you should look at the real time for commuting, not the nominal time.

How do you get from home to the railway station? How do you get from the station to your lecture hall?

If it is a 15 minute walk from the station to the lecture hall (not the university's front gate) and it is a 50 minute train journey which runs on the half past and the hour, a 9 o'clock lecture means being at the departure station for 7:30 AM.

If you need to catch a bus to the station that takes 10 minutes and runs on the quarters of an hour, you can't really risk the 7:15 bus. That means catching the 7:00 bus.

If it is a 5 minute walk to the bus stop, your 9:00 lecture means leaving home at 6:55 and you can only study, at most, for 50 minutes of that time.

And that is a relatively frequent train and bus service.
Reply 16
Original post by beccafairy
a friend of mine commuted to uni and it was terrible for him. he couldn't pick the modules he preferred as the classes for them started at 9am, having to pass up modules that were related directly to his career choice, so that's put him at a major disadvantage. he also had to miss his class that ended at 6 as that's when the last train home was, and couldn't stay later and work on his projects using the university's facilities (which he didn't have at home). he also found it extremely difficult to do group work as he couldn't meet up with his coursemates outside of classes unless they all happened to have a gap between lessons, which didn't happen often. not to mention it must have been exhausting. he did this for up until christmas, then moved into student housing and his grades, motivation and relationships with his lecturers and coursemates have really improved. plus he actually saves money from not having to travel as the rent is cheaper!
it's going to directly affect your education, so i don't see why she'd make you do it, other than to shelter you. what are her reasons?


Well she's a single mum and she keeps saying that i'm leaving her alone :/
She has said that i can move out in my second year but i told her that because most people don't do well in there first year they can't get a First in their degrees.
I think her main reason is that she doesn't want to be left alone because she is a single mum
Reply 17
Original post by Dee Leigh
Totally agree. I say to the OP, move out regardless. I'm moving out - I really can't stay with my parents anymore, and I need to focus on my education and have my distance and independence. Also I don't want to move back, but that's another matter.

Also I say to the OP, get a student loan.


My mums promised me to buy me a flat nearer to the university for my second year , when i'm allowed to move out.
I don't think the student loan will cover me. I'm not entitled to much due to my mum earning £80,000+
Reply 18
less money on travel costs
Original post by saim101
Well she's a single mum and she keeps saying that i'm leaving her alone :/
She has said that i can move out in my second year but i told her that because most people don't do well in there first year they can't get a First in their degrees.
I think her main reason is that she doesn't want to be left alone because she is a single mum


that's pretty selfish of her to be honest. you could compromise and promise to visit often, since you'll be in commuting distance anyway?

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