Commuting to Uni
Planning on commuting to uni. Is a 40/50 minute commute each way decent? I know i will save a significant amount of money compared to staying in halls, but I don't know if it's going to be too tiring me.
Uni is a very different beast to school I'd usually say don't commute particularly if your door to door each day is >1 hour there are many reasons no to commute i could write a missive but I'll just say it will Impact your social life your academic work your group work you won't settle in as quickly you will feel like your missing out and you will get less loan.
Original post by Anonymous
Planning on commuting to uni. Is a 40/50 minute commute each way decent? I know i will save a significant amount of money compared to staying in halls, but I don't know if it's going to be too tiring me.
A 40-50 minute commute to university can be a cost-effective alternative to staying in halls, offering significant savings and the comfort of a familiar environment. However, it also involves a substantial daily time commitment, potential fatigue, and reduced campus involvement. To manage effectively, ensure your schedule aligns with commuting, use travel time productively, and plan for transportation issues. While it can be manageable with careful planning, consider your personal tolerance for commuting and the impact on your university experience.
Original post by Anonymous
Planning on commuting to uni. Is a 40/50 minute commute each way decent? I know i will save a significant amount of money compared to staying in halls, but I don't know if it's going to be too tiring me.
It obviously depends on your subject and timetable but are you aware that on some days you are likely to have free time for several hours, possibly more. Most students would just go back to their digs and catch up on their work or do some washing or shopping. What would you do?
Hopefully you are not planning on driving as there are only a few unis that have parking for students. The likelihood is that you would have to go by public transport. If you were planning on driving then rethink the commuting.
Original post by Anonymous
Planning on commuting to uni. Is a 40/50 minute commute each way decent? I know i will save a significant amount of money compared to staying in halls, but I don't know if it's going to be too tiring me.
Hey there,
I am currently on an industry placement and doing 45 minutes commute every morning and evening. I personally like it. It's a nice time to listen to music, some podcasts and relax in general. I see nothing too terrible about it.
Take care,
Ilya
Original post by Anonymous
Planning on commuting to uni. Is a 40/50 minute commute each way decent? I know i will save a significant amount of money compared to staying in halls, but I don't know if it's going to be too tiring me.
Is that door to door with a direct (no changes) transport process? If so then that's probably not unreasonable (although invariably any commute over ~30 mins becomes quite fatiguing in the long run). I suspect a lot of London students would have similar commutes after first year for example! Do factor in the costs, and bear in mind if living at home you get a reduced maintenance loan (this may negate the anticipated savings for example).
If that's only the duration of the main transport mechanism (e.g. bus, train, etc) and not e.g. getting to where you get that transport and then getting from the end disembarkation point to your final destination, you will need to factor that in. Likewise if you have numerous changes (e.g. a bus to a train station, then get the train, maybe change another train, then a bus to the uni) then that becomes much more complicated and usually the different change times don't line up and in reality it may be longer so also consider that.
If you'd be driving directly then consider what the parking situation will be (you will almost certainly not be able to park on campus as an undergraduate student unless you have a disability and can get a parking permit for that reason). This may also add time if you have to park a fair ways out and then walk the rest of the way.
Original post by artful_lounger
Is that door to door with a direct (no changes) transport process? If so then that's probably not unreasonable (although invariably any commute over ~30 mins becomes quite fatiguing in the long run). I suspect a lot of London students would have similar commutes after first year for example! Do factor in the costs, and bear in mind if living at home you get a reduced maintenance loan (this may negate the anticipated savings for example).
If that's only the duration of the main transport mechanism (e.g. bus, train, etc) and not e.g. getting to where you get that transport and then getting from the end disembarkation point to your final destination, you will need to factor that in. Likewise if you have numerous changes (e.g. a bus to a train station, then get the train, maybe change another train, then a bus to the uni) then that becomes much more complicated and usually the different change times don't line up and in reality it may be longer so also consider that.
If you'd be driving directly then consider what the parking situation will be (you will almost certainly not be able to park on campus as an undergraduate student unless you have a disability and can get a parking permit for that reason). This may also add time if you have to park a fair ways out and then walk the rest of the way.
If that's only the duration of the main transport mechanism (e.g. bus, train, etc) and not e.g. getting to where you get that transport and then getting from the end disembarkation point to your final destination, you will need to factor that in. Likewise if you have numerous changes (e.g. a bus to a train station, then get the train, maybe change another train, then a bus to the uni) then that becomes much more complicated and usually the different change times don't line up and in reality it may be longer so also consider that.
If you'd be driving directly then consider what the parking situation will be (you will almost certainly not be able to park on campus as an undergraduate student unless you have a disability and can get a parking permit for that reason). This may also add time if you have to park a fair ways out and then walk the rest of the way.
That's door to door with one change which is relatively quick. I've done a similar journey before to sixth form and it's not too bad, was more just wondering if it's going to be too tiring with a uni schedule instead
Original post by Anonymous
That's door to door with one change which is relatively quick. I've done a similar journey before to sixth form and it's not too bad, was more just wondering if it's going to be too tiring with a uni schedule instead
I think it's not an unreasonable prospect in that case but the single change is a potential "pain point", as if there are delays or cancellations to one half of the journey or the other that can easily throw the whole thing off (and with two segments, it's a lot more likely you might affected by something on at least one leg of the journey!).
That said I think you may want to consider living in halls for first year and then after first year if you feel the commute would be viable still and want to save that money, then move back home. As then you get the experience of independent living (which is a valuable experience regardless), have more opportunity to engage with the wider academic and social communities at the uni (it's hard to make time to join societies, go to guest lectures, and just "hang out" when commuting, and also a lot of people do make friends in first year halls anyway) at the outset (as it can feel harder to join in on those things "after the fact", although there's no reason in principle you couldn't).
You may also find that you are able to get a part-time job during term time that doesn't interfere with your studies and eliminates the concerns about saving costs. Also if the commute is only 40-50 minutes, if you do feel you want to go home for a weekend or something, that's very possible
(edited 3 months ago)
Original post by Anonymous
That's door to door with one change which is relatively quick. I've done a similar journey before to sixth form and it's not too bad, was more just wondering if it's going to be too tiring with a uni schedule instead
Original post by Anonymous
That's door to door with one change which is relatively quick. I've done a similar journey before to sixth form and it's not too bad, was more just wondering if it's going to be too tiring with a uni schedule instead
It could be fairly tiresome when you factor in breaks during the day one or two hours is ok you can use that time to study but when you end up having an 8 or 9 hour break it’s much better to have a place nearby you can retreat to.
Hi,
At the end of the day you just need to do what's best for you- everyone is different.
It's great that you're reaching out for help and guidance on here. perhaps try creating a pros and cons list to see whether commuting or staying in halls would be easier? Although commuting may be easier and more cost effective, it might be more difficult when it comes to getting into university and making friends and socialising. These are just some things to take into account.
If you are sure that commuting is what you want to do, 30-40 minutes should be fine. I know some people who commute two hours each way, and although it's tiring for them, its worked out cheaper and they feel more comfortable staying at home.
Hope this helps.
Josh
(LJMU Student Ambassador)
At the end of the day you just need to do what's best for you- everyone is different.
It's great that you're reaching out for help and guidance on here. perhaps try creating a pros and cons list to see whether commuting or staying in halls would be easier? Although commuting may be easier and more cost effective, it might be more difficult when it comes to getting into university and making friends and socialising. These are just some things to take into account.
If you are sure that commuting is what you want to do, 30-40 minutes should be fine. I know some people who commute two hours each way, and although it's tiring for them, its worked out cheaper and they feel more comfortable staying at home.
Hope this helps.
Josh
(LJMU Student Ambassador)
Original post by Anonymous
Planning on commuting to uni. Is a 40/50 minute commute each way decent? I know i will save a significant amount of money compared to staying in halls, but I don't know if it's going to be too tiring me.
Hi there,
This isn't too long of a commute, especially if you have said it was a similar distance to your sixth form. I think that the main thing to consider is how much you will actually be in Uni. Some courses have a lot more contact hours than others - e.g. for my course, we have around 9 contact hours per week which is over 2/3 days so if this was similar to you, the commute wouldn't be bad at all. However, some courses have a lot more hours in uni which might make it more tiring so I would look into this if you can - you could always email your course leader for an idea of roughly how many hours you would have in uni so you can get a better idea of this.
If your uni is close to a train station this would make it a lot easier as well as you might need to factor in the time it would take to get to uni from the train station, and how long it takes you to get to the train station as well. Also think about how you would get to the train station from home and this might also affect your decision if this would add extra time onto the journey.
It's good that your commute would be by train as you could always try and get work done as well on the train which could be quite a good use of the time that you would be on the train anyway! I know a few people who commute by train and get some of their work done on the train as if you can get a seat with a table it isn't too bad doing this.
You would save a lot of money on accommodation as I'm sure the train wouldn't be too expensive as it is a relatively quick journey. The only thing that would be annoying and potentially tiring is if you had a long gap one day in between lectures as you wouldn't be able to go home in between. However, this could be a good time to go to the library and do some work so it wouldn't be too bad if you did have to do this.
I hope some of this helps,
Lucy -SHU student ambassador.
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