How far would you travel daily for Uni?
I'm looking to start in 2015, I can't move from my current location due to being a carer.
My ideal course is at a uni which would be a 4 hour round trip (train) would you be willing to travel that far?
I guess I need to know how many days are spent in lectures. I used to have a job which was 2 hours commuting a day which wore me down but I'm hoping I'll be more motivated for this!
My ideal course is at a uni which would be a 4 hour round trip (train) would you be willing to travel that far?
I guess I need to know how many days are spent in lectures. I used to have a job which was 2 hours commuting a day which wore me down but I'm hoping I'll be more motivated for this!
- I personally would just then apply for a Uni closer. Less than an hour. Travelling everyday would de motivate me to do any work when I got home
But I used to work for my uni Alumni and Friends fund and there are bursaries and funds available for people who are careers on top of your student finance for this.
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But I used to work for my uni Alumni and Friends fund and there are bursaries and funds available for people who are careers on top of your student finance for this.
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Original post by Georgiina_Tee
- I personally would just then apply for a Uni closer. Less than an hour. Travelling everyday would de motivate me to do any work when I got home
But I used to work for my uni Alumni and Friends fund and there are bursaries and funds available for people who are careers on top of your student finance for this.
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But I used to work for my uni Alumni and Friends fund and there are bursaries and funds available for people who are careers on top of your student finance for this.
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Your probably correct, its all very well looking the train journey planer when everything is running on time. It doesn't take much of a delay on connecting trains for thing to go dire very quickly.
I travelled 3 hours round trip to uni and honestly it was tiring. Not to mention that trains are unreliable. It's do able but be prepared for all the crap you might have to go through.
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I wouldn't commute that far for uni. Depending on the course you do, you might only be in for a few hours each day (but still every day) and time spent travelling might exceed time spent learning things. It would also cost a fortune, but I suppose that's something you've already calculated and you feel you can afford it. It's possible you'd be out at 6am and not get home until 8pm, with a 6 hour gap of nothing in the middle of the day, depending on how things fall.
I travelled about an hour to my first university and even that was quite annoying for me, but we're all different.
I travelled about an hour to my first university and even that was quite annoying for me, but we're all different.
I have a 3hour round trip but I only live 16 miles away from the uni. 
Well it seems like the consensus is that's too far. Moving is not an option, I'm quite good at making my time productive while on trains. I'm estimating my contact time at around 12-16 hours per week and if a 1-2 hour lecture fell on a day by itself then that would be A LOT of hassle.
Fortunatly there are quite a few closer options which I guess I will prioritise. Thanks for your replies.
Fortunatly there are quite a few closer options which I guess I will prioritise. Thanks for your replies.
Original post by skeptical_john
Well it seems like the consensus is that's too far. Moving is not an option, I'm quite good at making my time productive while on trains. I'm estimating my contact time at around 12-16 hours per week and if a 1-2 hour lecture fell on a day by itself then that would be A LOT of hassle.
Fortunatly there are quite a few closer options which I guess I will prioritise. Thanks for your replies.
Fortunatly there are quite a few closer options which I guess I will prioritise. Thanks for your replies.
That's quite likely to happen. I've had days where I only had one lecture and I'm on about 12-16 hours like you. Also, you might have a 9-10 lecture and a huge gap then an early evening lecture afterwards.
Personally, I couldn't do a 4 hour round trip that would take too much out of the day for me.
I will be taking a 2 hour round trip for my postgrad degree this year by train to a brick uni.
However, I did my BA degree through the Open University. What degree are you hoping to do? They are definitely worth considering. I did mine studying evenings and weekends whilst holding down a full time job. I knew a number of people on my modules had young families or elderly parents to look after whilst studying.
However, I did my BA degree through the Open University. What degree are you hoping to do? They are definitely worth considering. I did mine studying evenings and weekends whilst holding down a full time job. I knew a number of people on my modules had young families or elderly parents to look after whilst studying.
My nearest uni is only about ten miles away but I will have to catch a train at 7:30, meaning I will have to leave at like 6:30 to walk to the station as there are no buses that early!!! So it's gonna take 2 hours ish to get there....
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I went to college this year in a town 50 miles from where I stay. I would leave the house at 6.30am to catch a train at 7 and arrive at 8.20am. I wouldn't get home until 7pm because the train times weren't great. So a full 12 hour day. I was only in 3 days a week but it was very tiring at times. I wouldn't commute any further than that.
Original post by nadinelia11
My nearest uni is only about ten miles away but I will have to catch a train at 7:30, meaning I will have to leave at like 6:30 to walk to the station as there are no buses that early!!! So it's gonna take 2 hours ish to get there....
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2 hours to do 10 miles? I would strongly consider cycling! it will save you an hour and cash.
I used to commute to a university that was a twenty two mile round trip, which took anywhere up to three or four hours, depending on traffic. As other people have said, it's certainly doable, but I don't think I'd want to do the same again. 
Spending 4 hours each day on transport is going to be very tough. It's not impossible, it can be done, but it will be very hard and needs some serious dedication and commitment. For my part, I would not travel to uni every day if it was more than, say, 10 to 15 miles away. I would either rent accommodation nearby, or apply for a place at another institution.
Having said that, you can still make it work. It's just going to be tough. I'm not sure if you drive, but being able to travel by car makes such a massive and immense difference (I speak from experience), it's such a huge help.
It also depends on your course schedule. If you start at 9am and finish at 5pm for 5 days a week, it's going to be tough. But if you only had, say, 2 full days and 1 half day per week, then that would be much easier.
Whatever you decide to do, I'd still say that spending 4 hours a day on travel isn't impossible, it can be done...but it's going to be tough. I once had to attend a placement which was nearly 25 miles away, I could not handle the commute at all (I spent 4 and a half hours a day traveling) and had to find some local accommodation in the area after my first week there, which solved my problem.
Having said that, you can still make it work. It's just going to be tough. I'm not sure if you drive, but being able to travel by car makes such a massive and immense difference (I speak from experience), it's such a huge help.
It also depends on your course schedule. If you start at 9am and finish at 5pm for 5 days a week, it's going to be tough. But if you only had, say, 2 full days and 1 half day per week, then that would be much easier.
Whatever you decide to do, I'd still say that spending 4 hours a day on travel isn't impossible, it can be done...but it's going to be tough. I once had to attend a placement which was nearly 25 miles away, I could not handle the commute at all (I spent 4 and a half hours a day traveling) and had to find some local accommodation in the area after my first week there, which solved my problem.
Original post by Stinkum
Spending 4 hours each day on transport is going to be very tough. It's not impossible, it can be done, but it will be very hard and needs some serious dedication and commitment. For my part, I would not travel to uni every day if it was more than, say, 10 to 15 miles away. I would either rent accommodation nearby, or apply for a place at another institution.
Having said that, you can still make it work. It's just going to be tough. I'm not sure if you drive, but being able to travel by car makes such a massive and immense difference (I speak from experience), it's such a huge help.
It also depends on your course schedule. If you start at 9am and finish at 5pm for 5 days a week, it's going to be tough. But if you only had, say, 2 full days and 1 half day per week, then that would be much easier.
Whatever you decide to do, I'd still say that spending 4 hours a day on travel isn't impossible, it can be done...but it's going to be tough. I once had to attend a placement which was nearly 25 miles away, I could not handle the commute at all (I spent 4 and a half hours a day traveling) and had to find some local accommodation in the area after my first week there, which solved my problem.
Having said that, you can still make it work. It's just going to be tough. I'm not sure if you drive, but being able to travel by car makes such a massive and immense difference (I speak from experience), it's such a huge help.
It also depends on your course schedule. If you start at 9am and finish at 5pm for 5 days a week, it's going to be tough. But if you only had, say, 2 full days and 1 half day per week, then that would be much easier.
Whatever you decide to do, I'd still say that spending 4 hours a day on travel isn't impossible, it can be done...but it's going to be tough. I once had to attend a placement which was nearly 25 miles away, I could not handle the commute at all (I spent 4 and a half hours a day traveling) and had to find some local accommodation in the area after my first week there, which solved my problem.
I was thinking about it a bit and more and considering uni term time is around 6 months total which works out to max 130 days a year which makes it seem a bit more feasible.
I'm also a carer, and I'm starting uni in September. It's 62 miles away, and I'll be going by car. Looking at the timetable for last year, I should be able to miss rush hour most of the time as all the lectures/seminars etc (bar one) fell between 10am and 4pm. However, I have booked my daughter into overnight respite care twice a week and I plan to stay in a local B&B those nights to reduce commuting time.
Looking on the bright side, you will hopefully be able to work on the train, or at the library if you have gaps between lectures, which will leave you free for family commitments when you are at home.
Looking on the bright side, you will hopefully be able to work on the train, or at the library if you have gaps between lectures, which will leave you free for family commitments when you are at home.
I live about 20 miles away from the Uni I'll be attending in September, which would be roughly a 40 minute round trip by car. But I have to catch the bus which makes it a 3 hour round trip. That's as long as I would travel. Any longer and I'd seriously consider moving there or doing a course at a local FE college or Open University.
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