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Is a 2 hour commute worth it

I am applying for university and my firm choice is 1.5-2 hours away depending on traffic. Is it worth travelling 1.5/2 hours to University everyday or would it be better to live in halls. Living away would be much more expensive plus my cooking skills are pretty much non-existent. On the other hand a 1.5/2 hour commute would be very mentally straining which has given me a big dilemma. All advice would be much appreciated :smile:

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in my experience a commute longer than 30 minutes is depressing, longer than 1 hour is soul destroying.

You have to account for time to walk to the train station, delays and overcrowded trains.

You wont have any time to yourself and be too tired to study

Living out of halls is often cheaper, in most cities you can find accommodation for 500pcm
I commute 1.5-2hrs to uni 3-4 days a week and find it fine. Honestly I enjoy the downtime.

It's cheaper than moving to live closer.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by KDB_123
I am applying for university and my firm choice is 1.5-2 hours away depending on traffic. Is it worth travelling 1.5/2 hours to University everyday or would it be better to live in halls. Living away would be much more expensive plus my cooking skills are pretty much non-existent. On the other hand a 1.5/2 hour commute would be very mentally straining which has given me a big dilemma. All advice would be much appreciated :smile:


Please don't commute - it will be far better to live in halls and you can always go for catered if you really can't cook. However, most people do manage to learn enough to survive their own cooking!
so is that four hours travel daily? that's way too much
deffo halls imo
it'll be difficult to make it to early lectures if you stay at home,you'll have wake up super early(I find it hard and I'm 5 mins from my lecture theatre😂)plus you'll be tired when you get back which will probably affect your hobbies/social life

you can't get past the cost it is what it is but you'll figure out the food aspect over time
Original post by KDB_123
I am applying for university and my firm choice is 1.5-2 hours away depending on traffic. Is it worth travelling 1.5/2 hours to University everyday or would it be better to live in halls. Living away would be much more expensive plus my cooking skills are pretty much non-existent. On the other hand a 1.5/2 hour commute would be very mentally straining which has given me a big dilemma. All advice would be much appreciated :smile:


Unless you cant afford it any other way then I think its a terrible idea. Tiring and depressing plus 3-4 hours everyday on the train will be expensive and could be time spent socialising or studying. I think it would have a negative effect on your studies. Either move there or pick somewhere closer. At the most 30-60 mins door to door.
I think anything over an hour commuting is too much really, if you have a lot of lecture hours it will be a strain and like a commenter said above you’ll be too tired to study. Please go for halls, there will be cheap option ones which are less than £100 a week!
I'd really recommend living in halls if your commute is over an hour. You'll really appreciate being so close if you end up having any 9am classes or you really want to use the library.

I live about 30-40 minutes away from home and come back some weekends and even that journey kills me tbh :redface:
Original post by KDB_123
I am applying for university and my firm choice is 1.5-2 hours away depending on traffic. Is it worth travelling 1.5/2 hours to University everyday or would it be better to live in halls. Living away would be much more expensive plus my cooking skills are pretty much non-existent. On the other hand a 1.5/2 hour commute would be very mentally straining which has given me a big dilemma. All advice would be much appreciated :smile:


Whilst it would be cheaper for you to commute, there are things to take into consideration:
- your timetable. If you find you have early classes or later classes, you need to make sure that you are able to get into uni on time. There may be delays due to traffic, cancellation of public services, or bad weather, which means you might miss early classes. If you have a full day of classes, you will also need to add on the commute time, and you may find a lot of your day is taken up and it may be tiring. Keep in mind you will have your independent study too, are you going to be motivated after a long days of classes and commute?
- moving away does give you a chance to be independent and stand on your own two feet. In terms of cooking, you can go for catered accommodation, or it is easy to learn a few basic recipes to keep yourself fed. Look at student cookbooks and Youtube videos for inspiration.
- whilst it is possible to make friends if you are a commuting student, you will find it easier to make friends if you live in your uni city, especially as a lot of socials are held at evening and night times.
I commute 1.5 hours each way. 4days a week. Honestly? It is exhausting but I wouldn't call it soul destroying.

My course is science based and I've had many 9 am starts. I've managed pretty well for past 2 years. Have been involved in societies and have a job on campus. My social life is good too. Granted you might make more friends while living on campus. if socialising is your priority then commuting may not be for you.

I love my time at uni and don't regret the commute. You need to have some motivation though. That's the key point. your Motivation.

Plus, if you have an hour on the train, there's alot you can use it for. Not a waste really.

Lol, I remember bringing up my commute during a job interview and the interviewer seemed impressed with the dedication. I got the job :P
Original post by cheesecakelove
Whilst it would be cheaper for you to commute, there are things to take into consideration:
- your timetable. If you find you have early classes or later classes, you need to make sure that you are able to get into uni on time. There may be delays due to traffic, cancellation of public services, or bad weather, which means you might miss early classes. If you have a full day of classes, you will also need to add on the commute time, and you may find a lot of your day is taken up and it may be tiring. Keep in mind you will have your independent study too, are you going to be motivated after a long days of classes and commute?
- moving away does give you a chance to be independent and stand on your own two feet. In terms of cooking, you can go for catered accommodation, or it is easy to learn a few basic recipes to keep yourself fed. Look at student cookbooks and Youtube videos for inspiration.
- whilst it is possible to make friends if you are a commuting student, you will find it easier to make friends if you live in your uni city, especially as a lot of socials are held at evening and night times.


I agree
Reply 11
Anything over 1.5hrs is too much imo. I used to commute 1hour each way roughly and sometimes that was tiring as I was in uni everday
Original post by sinfonietta
I commute 1.5-2hrs to uni 3-4 days a week and find it fine. Honestly I enjoy the downtime.

It's cheaper than moving to live closer.

Original post by Tamako2410
I commute 1.5 hours each way. 4days a week. Honestly? It is exhausting but I wouldn't call it soul destroying.

My course is science based and I've had many 9 am starts. I've managed pretty well for past 2 years. Have been involved in societies and have a job on campus. My social life is good too. Granted you might make more friends while living on campus. if socialising is your priority then commuting may not be for you.

I love my time at uni and don't regret the commute. You need to have some motivation though. That's the key point. your Motivation.

Plus, if you have an hour on the train, there's alot you can use it for. Not a waste really.

Lol, I remember bringing up my commute during a job interview and the interviewer seemed impressed with the dedication. I got the job :P

Original post by H.a.hx
Anything over 1.5hrs is too much imo. I used to commute 1hour each way roughly and sometimes that was tiring as I was in uni everday

guys I commute 1hr 45 mins everyday to uni by bus (train is way too expensive) do you know how I can pass the time?
I listen to music and podcasts but it gets so boring
Reply 13
Original post by Secretnerd123
guys I commute 1hr 45 mins everyday to uni by bus (train is way too expensive) do you know how I can pass the time?
I listen to music and podcasts but it gets so boring

I used to read books and sometimes watch shows on netflix on my phone
Really depends on how you use your time. I had a ~2h commute to school every day, leaving at 6.20am and getting back around 7pm. It's doable, but definitely tiring. Depends what transport you're using, whether you can do some work while you travel, etc... (e.g. it's easier to work on a train than on a bus)
Reply 15
Original post by KDB_123
I am applying for university and my firm choice is 1.5-2 hours away depending on traffic. Is it worth travelling 1.5/2 hours to University everyday or would it be better to live in halls. Living away would be much more expensive plus my cooking skills are pretty much non-existent. On the other hand a 1.5/2 hour commute would be very mentally straining which has given me a big dilemma. All advice would be much appreciated :smile:


If you can financially make it work, i'd strongly recommend living in halls. At least for first year. You can learn to cook, and a lot of people will be in the same boat. A 2 hour commute is long for an undergrad. Even if you ignore the impact it might have on your studying, uni life is about much more than attending lecturers and studying. You'll be missing out on a lot of the social aspects etc with a commute of this length.
Reply 16
Original post by KDB_123
I am applying for university and my firm choice is 1.5-2 hours away depending on traffic. Is it worth travelling 1.5/2 hours to University everyday or would it be better to live in halls. Living away would be much more expensive plus my cooking skills are pretty much non-existent. On the other hand a 1.5/2 hour commute would be very mentally straining which has given me a big dilemma. All advice would be much appreciated :smile:

Halls 100%.

If you live at home you'll get a reduced loan so you wont really save any money by living at home. Also, you might find that the cost of commuting combined with the lower loan could put you in a more difficult financial situation rather than just living out with the full loan.

And you're social life will certainly be impacted. Honestly, I would always recommend moving out for uni even if it was only like a half an hour commute, it's so worth doing. Everyone I have met who commuted for uni massively regrets it.
Reply 17
Ok so I've read all of the replies and the general cosensus is that living in halls would be the much better option. I don't have a job at the moment but with a maintenace loan and getting a part-time job at the university I think I would be able to cover the costs. Also, if I lived in halls for the first year what would happen in years 2/3 would i still be living in halls or would i have to travel from home? Once again i appreaciate all the advice.
2 hours! Crikey no. As other have said, you're missing out on so much by spending all that time going backwards and forwards. An hour is acceptable, but two is too much in my opinion.
Yes, it must have been murder. And with such a full-on course too - I don't quite know how you coped with that. I think you've essentially earned your current 10 minute journey :smile:

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