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Studying at UEA but living in Cambridge?

Hi everyone.

I'm planning to apply for the MA in Literary Translation at UEA but I am considering whether living in Cambridge might make more sense. Providing I get in, my fiancΓ© and I are planning to move to Cambridge/Norwich in August. He will be working at a law firm in Cambridge 3 days a week and doing his Legal Practice Course in Cambridge for the other two and had been planning on commuting daily from Cambridge for this. However, I recently found out that the contact hours for my course are very few, about 4 in total- 2 for each class. As commuting to Cam is so expensive (about Β£400 a month I think), we're now wondering whether it might not make more sense to live in Cam and have me commute to Norwich 2/3 days a week.

Does anyone have any experience of this or know if the university allows it? If not, what do you think? Would it mean missing out massively on the proper university experience?

Thanks!
Original post by tinglepingle
Hi everyone.

I'm planning to apply for the MA in Literary Translation at UEA but I am considering whether living in Cambridge might make more sense. Providing I get in, my fiancΓ© and I are planning to move to Cambridge/Norwich in August. He will be working at a law firm in Cambridge 3 days a week and doing his Legal Practice Course in Cambridge for the other two and had been planning on commuting daily from Cambridge for this. However, I recently found out that the contact hours for my course are very few, about 4 in total- 2 for each class. As commuting to Cam is so expensive (about Β£400 a month I think), we're now wondering whether it might not make more sense to live in Cam and have me commute to Norwich 2/3 days a week.

Does anyone have any experience of this or know if the university allows it? If not, what do you think? Would it mean missing out massively on the proper university experience?

Thanks!


The uni don't place restrictions on where you can live, no. However you do need to consider that it is over an hour on the train between the two- 1hr 17 for the quickest trains and 1hr 40 for the slowest and add on getting to and from the station and that could easily take well over 2 hours, as Norwich station is the other side of the city to the uni and would be 20mins minimum if you got the express bus which runs at peak times and longer on the normal bus. So for a 9am if you had one you'd need to be sat on the train by 7am.

I can imagine it will make it harder to do things like meet up with new friends, go to guest lectures e.c.t unless you don't mind a 2 hour+ journey for that e.c.t
Students outside halls at University of East Anglia (UEA)
University of East Anglia
Norwich
Visit website
Reply 2
Omg I can't believe I've actually run into someone else considering this! I know the post is a bit old but I'm currently studying at UEA and considering moving to Cambridge... I know the commute it's around 2h each way, but since I have to go 2-3 times a week I don't mind using the trip to read... I would like to meet other UEA students living in Cambridge or considering it?
Original post by tinglepingle
Hi everyone.

I'm planning to apply for the MA in Literary Translation at UEA but I am considering whether living in Cambridge might make more sense. Providing I get in, my fiancΓ© and I are planning to move to Cambridge/Norwich in August. He will be working at a law firm in Cambridge 3 days a week and doing his Legal Practice Course in Cambridge for the other two and had been planning on commuting daily from Cambridge for this. However, I recently found out that the contact hours for my course are very few, about 4 in total- 2 for each class. As commuting to Cam is so expensive (about Β£400 a month I think), we're now wondering whether it might not make more sense to live in Cam and have me commute to Norwich 2/3 days a week.

Does anyone have any experience of this or know if the university allows it? If not, what do you think? Would it mean missing out massively on the proper university experience?

Thanks!


Hello! I'm doing the same MA! But in 2016. And I'm planning to commute from Colchester, which I think is equidistant to Norwich as Cambridge is.
Original post by jelly1000
The uni don't place restrictions on where you can live, no.


Actually they did put on the requirements when I confirmed my MA that I had to live within 30 miles of Norwich and had to get permission from the course convenor to live further afield.
Original post by SiaSiaSia
Actually they did put on the requirements when I confirmed my MA that I had to live within 30 miles of Norwich and had to get permission from the course convenor to live further afield.


Ah interesting, I don't remember seeing any such requirements for mine although I only know of lecturers living that far away tbh.
Reply 6
I am starting at UEA this September and will be commenting from Cambridge.
Hi! A couple of years late, but I was just wondering, did you manage to get permission to live further afield (in Colchester) and then commute to UEA? Did the course convenor mind/raise concerns about it?I'm starting my PhD at UEA this October and I've also been told that they recommend you live within 50km of Norwich, however I was just planning to commute from Colchester too!
Original post by Ilovecats4
Hi! A couple of years late, but I was just wondering, did you manage to get permission to live further afield (in Colchester) and then commute to UEA? Did the course convenor mind/raise concerns about it?I'm starting my PhD at UEA this October and I've also been told that they recommend you live within 50km of Norwich, however I was just planning to commute from Colchester too!


Hi @Ilovecats4,

You might like to check out this #AskUEA page.

It is certainly recommended to live an accessible distance from UEA when undertaking a course there. However, if you feel that your situation is exceptional, it may be worth discussing this with your course convenor or someone at UEA.

If you have any other questions, please let me know!

Emilie – Official UEA TSR Rep

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