how bad is commuting ?

simple question ?
do you miss out on much of the uni life ?
say imperial commute is 1-2 hours but brunel is on doorstep which is preferred based on commute ?

Reply 1

Ornlu

4

Takes me about a 1:40 hours to get to Uni... one still make friends but are not as close as one would hope to be and also tend to meet less people; that said, other commuters are in the same boat so they make decent friends because they all tend to stick to together.
Even if the university is on your doorstep, people get to know each other from living in halls, so they oft visit each other's flats, so you might only be in a slightly better position than if you were to commute to Imperial, because there is less travel time and also you might still be able to make loads of friends that on sight...

Reply 2

Seathestars

11

Brunel is going to be my insurance choice I think, and I thought it was great when I went to the open day. But if I was smart enough or in a position to study at Imperial I would choose Imperial, definitely.

Reply 3

BKS

19

It depends on how much you can be around social activities. Like I could have commuted to uni, it was just 50mins on the train plus 10mins walk each side but my last train home would mean leaving the uni area by 10.30pm which limits a lot of social stuff. It's not just about going out to clubs, it's about having the time to spend with people without always having to run off early. If you aren't about it's hard to make friends.

Reply 4

AdamskiUK

13

My dad said stopping at home was the biggest mistake of his life - he won't let me when I start in September.

Reply 5

Robbie242

I don't want to commute that much at all that's why I've chosen Warwick since everything is on campus (apart from a dentist)

Reply 6

2ndClass

3

I would commute 10 hrs to Imperial over Brunel....

2 things suck about commuting, the early mornings and not going back to chill with your mates in your dorms or staying up all night having fun (if you're into fun of course)

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 7

Alfissti

20

You get extra financing if you study at a London institution no point commuting from so far away especially on your first year.

First year is generally the time you should go all out and be yourself rather than tie yourself to commuting which can be tiresome after a few months.

Won't be cost effective either to stay so far away.

Reply 8

XMaramena

22

Original post by Padwas

simple question ?
do you miss out on much of the uni life ?
say imperial commute is 1-2 hours but brunel is on doorstep which is preferred based on commute ?

I started uni (in London) while living in Grantham, kept that up for 6 months. 2 hour commute across four trains, twice a day, was normal. Now I feel lucky to be able to get into uni from Stevenage which is just an hour.

As soon as I finish uni, I can finally shout YES to no more commuting!

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 9

lucaf

13

takes me about an hour and a half to get in to uni, it isn't too bad really. you do miss out on a bit of stuff but as long as you make an effort to get involved and find some friends who are willing to let you stay over at theirs it is definitely doable. In my freshers week I only slept at home twice, it is normally pretty easy to find people who will let you stay over.

Reply 10

Padwas

OP

3

Original post by Seathestars

Brunel is going to be my insurance choice I think, and I thought it was great when I went to the open day. But if I was smart enough or in a position to study at Imperial I would choose Imperial, definitely.

Original post by Ornlu

Takes me about a 1:40 hours to get to Uni... one still make friends but are not as close as one would hope to be and also tend to meet less people; that said, other commuters are in the same boat so they make decent friends because they all tend to stick to together.
Even if the university is on your doorstep, people get to know each other from living in halls, so they oft visit each other's flats, so you might only be in a slightly better position than if you were to commute to Imperial, because there is less travel time and also you might still be able to make loads of friends that on sight...

Original post by 2ndClass

I would commute 10 hrs to Imperial over Brunel....

2 things suck about commuting, the early mornings and not going back to chill with your mates in your dorms or staying up all night having fun (if you're into fun of course)

the problem. Is not getting into imperial most of my family have been there it's just the commute :frown:

Reply 11

Seathestars

11

Original post by Padwas

the problem. Is not getting into imperial most of my family have been there it's just the commute :frown:

Why can't you get accommodation at Imperial?

Reply 12

Padwas

OP

3

so commuting is bad but would you do it for imperial ......or go to brunel ?????????

Reply 13

Robbie242

Original post by Padwas

so commuting is bad but would you do it for imperial ......or go to brunel ?????????

commute for imperial

Reply 14

SecretDuck

19

If you live in London, commuting to say Imperial will not ruin your social life. That goes with all London unis - I know a lot of people who commute and still have good social lives.

But don't commute to Brunel - taking a Met line train everyday there will be hell.

Reply 15

Padwas

OP

3

Original post by SecretDuck

If you live in London, commuting to say Imperial will not ruin your social life. That goes with all London unis - I know a lot of people who commute and still have good social lives.

But don't commute to Brunel - taking a Met line train everyday there will be hell.