Commuting to University

Firstly congratulations on your unconditional!
No one can make your decisions for you but in the first instance your options are really constrained by your financial situation, we're talking the art of the possible depending on the support available.
You also don't say what you're studying - how often and for how long you're going to need to be in university each week. If you're only in lecture and seminars a couple of days a week then commuting starts to make more sense.
Although a big part of university is learning to live away from home and do your own admin', commuting can be done successfully, I know one lad commuted a couple of times a week to London from Lincoln and saved himself a fortune compared to living down there.
That being said, as you mention, commuting means you can miss out on the social/sporting/society side of things which often involves the evenings. but university is not one long party, neither your liver nor your results would stand it: and you get your washing done and dinner on the table at home - it's a balanced decision.
Rest assured, you will make friends on your course, and for the big night out [even the accidental ones] you can always bag a bit of floor - stashing a sleeping bag and a change of clothes might not be a bad idea .
More important, how will commuting impact on your access to necessary resources? Can you do everything you're going to need to do from home? For example will you be required to do collaborative work or will your "homework" just be reading at home?

It's worth remembering that nothing is forever, if you commute the first year and feel it's not working out for you then you can look to jump onto a flat share in the second - and vice versa. Best of luck

I've got an unconditional offer for Lincoln to study in September, but i am unsure whether to commute or move away from home. If i move away my maintenance loan won't cover my accommodation however, if i commute it is an hour drive or 50 minute train ride and it will work out a lot more cheaper. Im really unsure what to do as I've seen a lot of people say you miss out of the social aspect but i need to make up my mind as I've got to apply for my student finance. Any advice?

Weather you live in uni or not you will have a fantastic time regardless. In the first year of uni I lived away from home and it used to take me 2 hours to get there, so in my second year I decided to move into halls and I've never looked back. Regardless of travelling I still enjoyed my first year at Newman University however, in my 2nd year I did struggle financially so I had to find a job to help out with my out-goings. You've just got to plan what you want to do- its' that simple.

Congratulations on your unconditional offer! That's fantastic, I study in Lincoln so first of all, I'd tell you to move here just for the city, but at the end of the day, it's got to be you that makes the real decision. On my course there is someone that lives about an hour away and commutes everyday and they don't really have the social aspect of uni, apart from with all of us on the course, but that's them and that's the way they live it. A lot of people move away and know their loan can't cover their accommodation but they find ways around it with bursaries and other loans or help from family etc. You've just got to look at what is viable for you and what you'd prefer to do in the long run. If you commute, you'll have the social life through your course and what not - but not the one of living in halls purely because you'll spend a lot of your time travelling but it doesn't mean you won't make friends on your course and they'll invite you out and you'll party and stay with them! I'd suggest living at university and see if there is a way you can afford it!

Hope you can make your decision soon! If you have any questions about Lincoln, feel free to private message me!

I commute half an hour and I've managed to make friends on my course but it's a lot harder to integrate with your course as a whole as people network via their flatmates. I've always been somebody who prefers sticking to a small group of friends and being in familiar territory so to me, I don't care. But if you want to go to uni with the intention of making lots and lots of friends then halls would be the better option. It can be intimidating turning up to lectures or tutorials on your own whilst everyone turns up with people they know through halls and it can be frustrating trying to organise meeting up for group projects as sometimes it means travelling to uni just for the meeting. But like you said, it does save a lot of money. If I was at uni I'd have £10 a week to live on but at home I have £100 a week to live on which means I've been able to learn to drive and buy a car to commute in, been able to buy textbooks and a new laptop that I wouldn't have been able to afford. It's probably cheaper for my parents too as they would have helped me out financially in halls as rent was so high.