Travelling to uni

I’m starting a creative and therapeutic arts course in treforest in September. I currently live in Swansea and would prefer to live at home and commute everyday but I wanted to know other people’s opinions on this and if they have done this in the past. I’m worried about money and would like to live at home but want to know what is the best decision to make. The journey is about an hour away from my home on the motorway mostly

I’m starting a creative and therapeutic arts course in treforest in September. I currently live in Swansea and would prefer to live at home and commute everyday but I wanted to know other people’s opinions on this and if they have done this in the past. I’m worried about money and would like to live at home but want to know what is the best decision to make. The journey is about an hour away from my home on the motorway mostly

I’m starting a creative and therapeutic arts course in treforest in September. I currently live in Swansea and would prefer to live at home and commute everyday but I wanted to know other people’s opinions on this and if they have done this in the past. I’m worried about money and would like to live at home but want to know what is the best decision to make. The journey is about an hour away from my home on the motorway mostly

That must be this course:

https://www.southwales.ac.uk/courses/ba-hons-creative-and-therapeutic-arts/

They seem to have accommodation there, it looks very nice, actually.

Could that be an option for you?

https://www.southwales.ac.uk/student-life/accommodation/options/index.html

As @HelpfulGrad points out, you need to factor in the fuel costs of commuting, plus the cost of wear-and-tear.

On top of that, once you get to your destination, you need to find somewhere to park, and possibly pay for the parking. How close is the parking to where you need to get to? Will parking be easily available when you need it, or will you have to drive around looking for a space. What's the traffic like at the time you need to travel?

I think the first thing to remember is that unless your car runs on happy thoughts and good vibes it is going to cost a lot in fuel. Say your car does 40mpg, it is a 40 mile journey, so you're using a gallon of fuel each way, so that's £10 a day. Do that 20 times a month and you're at £200. This isn't a lot less than a flat share would be. That's before you factor in the cost of the significant wear and tear 1,600 miles a month will do to your car.

So if the reason you want to stay at home is purely financial, I'd say all that's really in it is £100 of bills and the cost of your food, drinks etc. You're also going to have a better student experience living away from home in my opinion and free yourself two hours a day to do things you enjoy rather than driving along the M4 in the dark, in the rain, in the snow, whilst the people from your course are in the pub getting to know each other better! You could even spend the 2 hours working to make up the difference.

If your reason for wanting to stay at home is you don't want to be away from your friends and family, I'd remember that you are only an hour along the road so it's very easy to go back so as not to miss out on events or spend the weekend at home. But the time to be away from home is definitely your first year - so I'd say give it a try, and if you don't like it there's always next year.

I’m starting a creative and therapeutic arts course in treforest in September. I currently live in Swansea and would prefer to live at home and commute everyday but I wanted to know other people’s opinions on this and if they have done this in the past. I’m worried about money and would like to live at home but want to know what is the best decision to make. The journey is about an hour away from my home on the motorway mostly

Hi @HollieMckrill,

Like other people have said, you'll need to factor in the cost of travelling to and from uni and parking etc. In terms of the overall university experience, you might miss out on a few things like living in student accommodation, but that doesn't mean you'll miss out on the fun. A few of my friends lived at home and commuted to uni and it didn't stop them enjoying a social life.

Hope this helps!

Lucy

Thankyou so much , your so right!