traveling from London to reading uni

Hey everyone! I'm considering commuting from West Drayton station to Reading University on a daily basis and was wondering if anyone here has experience with this journey. Could you share insights on the cost-effectiveness, the overall experience, and whether it's worth the travel every day? Also, I'm trying to figure out the best option between taking the Elizabeth line or the railway. Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Reply 1

normaw

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

I've moved your thread to the Reading forum to help you get replies. :smile:

University of Reading

Reading

Hi!

Although I do not go to Reading University, I thought it would be good to share my personal experience as I have been commuting from my town to ARU since first year, but I also know people who are living or commuting in London so I feel that this insight might become useful for you to know.

I personally commuted because it was significantly less costly with my family allowing me to live rent-free, I only had to pay for my lunch and bus pass. So if you are considering your options based on cost, I would assume commuting would probably be less expensive because rent in the London area is expensive and you would also be paying to commute in London on top of that. My sister who started university in London decided to live at home after first year as well because rent was too expensive and she felt that commuting ended up being so much easier and cheaper, despite the transport being 1 to 2 hours she expressed that she would rather commute than live in London.
So, if you have a family that is able to support you during your studies, I think it is a good idea to commute to your university instead.

As for my overall experience, I feel that being a commuting student has made me more confident and outgoing than before because it was not easy to make friends since I did not have roommates or easy access to my university's social events. I had to put myself out there to make friends and I became more comfortable with going out of my comfort zone, this enabled me to gain some independence in a way because I learnt how to organise my time and schedule to effectively balance my social and study life as I had to figure out the appropriate times to travel to university to meet with friends in town, attending society events and to designate appropriate times to study in the library.

However, this is your life and everyone's experiences will be different as I do know some friends who are deciding to stay in London near their university because commuting from their town is less reliable than mine.
Therefore, to make the right decision for you it is important that you know your priorities, for example if you prioritise saving money then it might be better to commute but if you value your time then living near your university is better.

I hope this was helpful to you and good luck with your studies :grin: