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living an hour away from uni?

kkaaaaa

Is it worth staying in halls or commuting an hour there and back everyday from home?

Reply 1

Scotland Yard

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by kkaaaaa

Is it worth staying in halls or commuting an hour there and back everyday from home?

I would recommend everyone to move into halls at least for one year because it is such a different experience to everything you've done before and it is such a big step towards growing up and being independent, I feel.

A one hour commute is doable, but not recommended. You may get tired of it pretty quickly, it could cut into your study time, and depending on what you do, it might be very expensive too.

In terms of social life, commuters have a different social life to those who live on campus. Most commuters have a thing that I call commuteritis, which is that basically, they show up to uni only for the bare minimum of what they need to show up and then they immediately go home after their lectures are done, which makes socialising with them a bit complicated. Yes, a one hour plus commute sucks but I remember I had an hour and a half - two hour commute to sixth form and that never stopped me from being around school after hours and making fun plans with my friends, so I think it's also a mentality thing, a laziness trap that is exceedingly easy to fall into if you commute. If you think you can overcome it, or don't care about socialising, then you should consider commuting. But ideally, living on campus is better. Super easy to stick around after lectures for you, and you meet so many more people which in my experience, has been great fun.

I mentioned becoming independent before too. You can have the loveliest, most understanding parents in the world like myself, but even then, it does you good to leave them for a while and go figure yourself out without anybody from your family watching over you. It gives you the chance to learn to live by yourself, to do things you couldn't do before, to make mistakes and do fun but outrageous things that'll make you think to yourself "never again"... truly, truly eye opening experience that'll make you grow up in a way that you won't staying back at home.

Reply 2

WrexhamUniReps

Official Rep

Original post by kkaaaaa

Is it worth staying in halls or commuting an hour there and back everyday from home?

Hi there 👋.

It's entirely your choice and completely depends on your circumstances. I would suggest writing a pros and cons list between living in halls and commuting home. This way you can weigh up your options and consider the benefits to both, here are some pros and cons to start you off!:

Pros of living in halls:

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Living in Halls allows you especially in your first year to meet new people easier, and get to know people that are not necessarily in your course.

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Allows you to gain vital life skills such as cooking, cleaning, finance management, and time management.

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Automatically gives you more independence and allows you to try new things.

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Closer to the campus meaning you do not have to get up too early for lectures

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As you are living in the town, more opportunities to go out and socialise.

Cons to living in halls:

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Not everyone is clean and tidy

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Can be quite pricey

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Having to pay for laundry on-site

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The possibility of people borrowing your stuff

Pros of living at home:

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If you have pets, meaning you do not have to leave them behind with family

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Having your own independent space at the family home and not having to share with teenagers

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Reducing bills such as laundry, food, and going out.

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Easier to stay in contact with family and friends

Cons to living at home:

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You may not learn life skills as quickly if you are living with your parents

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The price of petrol/diesel can be quite expensive

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May miss out on going out and socialising as much

I have many friends at university who have decided to live in halls this year and commute home at weekends, in order to get the university experience but still remain close to home. It's about assessing what is the best for you as an individual.

Good luck,
Hannah - 1st Year Mental Health Nursing
WrexhamUniReps

Reply 3

nutz99

Have you thought about the practicalities of it. You may well have a day when you have a lecture early morning then the next one later afternoon. What do you do if you have 5/6 hours free. Much easier if you are in halls to use that free time.

As well as the time taken out of your day to travel have you considered potential delays. You haven't said whether you are travelling by rail/bus/car. Buses and trains are always liable to delays or cancellations. If by car then parking is a huge problem for most universities.

Also have you considered the social side of things. You may feel left out if you are not in halls.

There is no harm in trying it for the first year (halls that is) then if it's not for you commute for the second year.

Reply 4

UCLan Student

Official Rep

Original post by kkaaaaa

Is it worth staying in halls or commuting an hour there and back everyday from home?

Hi there!

For the first year, I would recommend staying in halls if this is possible for you! If you have big gaps during the day, being able to walk back to your flat is so much easier than waiting around!

I also find that with commuting, when you add in getting stuck in traffic, journeys often take much longer than you think and it can make a 9-5 day much longer than you think.

If after first year you change your mind, you can always move home and at least you will have got to experience moving out for a while.

I hope this helps to give you an idea of moving out vs living at home!

Good luck!
-Rebecca, UCLan MBBS

Reply 5

Manchester Met - Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by kkaaaaa

Is it worth staying in halls or commuting an hour there and back everyday from home?

Hi there,
I am in 2nd year and my uni house is an hour away from uni. I often get a lot of work done on this trip and it wakes me up for the day ! However in first year I was 7 minute walk away from accommodation. I’ve loved living both distances away and can see the pros and cons in both! are you going into first year ?

Best wishes
Emily

Reply 6

YSJstudents

Official Rep

Original post by kkaaaaa

Is it worth staying in halls or commuting an hour there and back everyday from home?

Hi there,

I would say that it completely up to you and what you think will be best for you.

The main difference between commuting and staying in halls is the cost as commuting tends to be slightly cheaper although the costs can still stack up. If you commute by driving then there is a potential for problems to occur with the car which may need fixing or train and buses could be cancelled causing a potential need for you to have to get new tickets. However, living in student accommodation could also be just as costly if not more depending on the type of room and accommodation site you choose.

An hour commuting is doable if your only in a couple times a week however, it can become more taxing and tiring if your in every day. Think about how commuting may impact you along with what you might expect your timetable to be like. Also think about how the commuting time may change if you are delayed or if traffic is bad for some reason and how that may affect your study time.

I would also say think about the sort of things you would like to get from university as this could impact your decision. For example if you are more of a social person and would like to go on night out with friends or meet up with friends often then living in uni accommodation would be the better option but if this bothers you less than factor it into your decision. With that being said it by no means that if you are commuting you won't have a social life, some of my friends commute and I get to see them as much as I see my none commuting friends and most universities have commuters accommodation available for a couple of nights a week to help ease the pressures which commuting student face whilst also allowing them to enjoy the city with they are studying in and spending evenings with friends at a reasonable cost, so defiantly look into that.

Living in halls can give you a new found independence which you won't get in the same way living at home such as cooking, cleaning and even time management skills. However, the downside is after a long day you won't have your dinner cooked for you in the same why that you might at home. Furthermore, by living in student accommodation it will give you more access to the facilities on campus such as the library and other study spaces which you would not have access to in the same way if you were commuting.

I hope this helps 😊
Katie - Student Ambassador