tips for moving away for uni
Tips? Im currently like 40 - 60 minutes from my uni by car but i dont drive 😅
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Reply 1
Original post
by RavingTips? Im currently like 40 - 60 minutes from my uni by car but i dont drive 😅
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Hello Raving,
This will totally depend on your circumstances and personal preferences. I also live an hour away from university and I prefer living in student accomodation as opposed to commuting.
Living in student accomodation allows me to be closer to my lectures and the university library which is great for me when I've got a 9:00 am or when I need to work on assignments. It just gives me greater flexibility at university overall.
When it comes to having a car to get to university, you might want to check if you'll be able to park your car and how that works as some universities don't always have enough parking.
In terms of what you'll need for university accommodation, this will depend on accomodation that you're in. For university accomodation I would recommend bringing the following at least:
Bedding, Towels, Kitchenware (saucepans; colander; tea towels; cutlery etc), drying rack if you won't be using the tumble dryers at university, a laundry basket or shopping trolley or suitcase for transporting clothes.
The Student Room also has a guide here on what to pack for student accomodation: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/university/freshers/what-to-take-to-university-checklist
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Hope this helps,
Imane
Placement-Year Languages student
Reply 2
would you prefer to stay with your family or move out and have more independence
Original post
by RavingTips? Im currently like 40 - 60 minutes from my uni by car but i dont drive 😅
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Hi @Raving
This is a really good question, and I can see Imane has already given some great advice. That's fantastic that you are planning to learn to drive, I know how expensive it is from when I learned to drive, so I know it is an investment.
Whether you commute to university or move to live nearby depends on what is best for you and what you want from your university experience. There are pros and cons to commuting or living away from home.
Commuting:
💫 A great to save money as often rent/bills are cheaper if your family do ask you to contribute towards them.
💫 You might get help with the chores at home such as washing and cooking.
💫 You can stay involved with your local area and friends.
However, you may find it trickier to get involved with social gatherings or impromptu get-togethers, if you do drive the cost of petrol and parking needs to be factored in.
How often you are required at university for your course?
How would an hour's commute each way affect your energy levels and capacity to study?
Is it possible to get to university without a car if yours needs to go to the garage? Or if you need a bit longer than just the summer to learn to drive?
Of course, if you move away from home your overheads increase as you will need to pay rent and bills. It is worth checking with Student Finance England (SFE) if you're eligible for more student finance if you live away from home.
Could you afford to do this? Or would you need to work alongside your studies to supplement your income?
Living Away from Home:
💫 Can be easier to socialise, not needing to drive home late at night.
💫 Some students find they have more independence moving out for the first time.
💫 You are closer to university, so you can get up a little later if you do have early lectures and don't have a commute back home after a long day.
However, as you will have guessed there are cons to this too, because in most cases it is more expensive to live away from home, you need to find somewhere to live, and you don't necessarily have anyone to help with the household tasks e.g., cleaning.
I am a mature student, so didn't feel the need to move into Halls of Residence, but I know lots of students on my course loved living in student accommodation for the first year as not only did they make friends on their course, but many made great friends with their flatmates even going on to get a student house in second-year together. I know many of my coursemates liked having the accomodation staff on hand for any maintenance issues, or more often to store their Amazon delivery safely for them whilst they were out at lectures.
Again there are pros and cons to living in halls of residence or a student house. Student houses are often cheaper than halls of residence, they can be quieter as there are fewer people and fewer social events, but they may be further away from where you study.
If you do decide to look at moving away from home I would advise going to have a look at your accommodation options to see if you can see yourself living there.
Often if you attend an Open Day there is an opportunity to view the student accommodation (if your chosen university has any) and they might be able to give you advice on reputable local housing providers if you are considering a student house. If you haven't been to an Open Day but would like to then get in touch with your chosen university, some universities like mine offer ad-hoc campus tours too if there isn't an opportunity to view the university for a while.
I hope that helps a little. Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. I am happy to help!
Best of luck with your driving lessons!
Lucy 🙂
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)
(edited 10 months ago)
Reply 4
Original post
by RavingTips? Im currently like 40 - 60 minutes from my uni by car but i dont drive 😅
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Hey @Raving,
I'd recommend comparing two things: the cost of student accommodation and living costs if you choose to move away vs. the cost of driving to and from university a few times a week/potential on-site parking costs.
The cost of student accommodation and living costs (albeit depending on your area) will much likely be higher than transportation costs. However, you'll also have the opportunity to be independent and you'll learn a lot of valuable skills along the way. On the other hand, you might already feel quite independent at home and enjoy your current living situation.
What's your current commute to college like? Is it 40-60 minutes as well, or is it much shorter? Do you enjoy long commutes or do you think you'd find yourself burnt-out from having to make that long of a drive frequently, especially if you'll only have been driving for a few months?
Hope this helped, and best of luck with whichever option you choose! 🙂
Eve (Kingston Rep).
Reply 5
Raving
OP
4
Original post
by Kingston EveHey @Raving,
I'd recommend comparing two things: the cost of student accommodation and living costs if you choose to move away vs. the cost of driving to and from university a few times a week/potential on-site parking costs.
The cost of student accommodation and living costs (albeit depending on your area) will much likely be higher than transportation costs. However, you'll also have the opportunity to be independent and you'll learn a lot of valuable skills along the way. On the other hand, you might already feel quite independent at home and enjoy your current living situation.
What's your current commute to college like? Is it 40-60 minutes as well, or is it much shorter? Do you enjoy long commutes or do you think you'd find yourself burnt-out from having to make that long of a drive frequently, especially if you'll only have been driving for a few months?
Hope this helped, and best of luck with whichever option you choose! 🙂
Eve (Kingston Rep).
I'd recommend comparing two things: the cost of student accommodation and living costs if you choose to move away vs. the cost of driving to and from university a few times a week/potential on-site parking costs.
The cost of student accommodation and living costs (albeit depending on your area) will much likely be higher than transportation costs. However, you'll also have the opportunity to be independent and you'll learn a lot of valuable skills along the way. On the other hand, you might already feel quite independent at home and enjoy your current living situation.
What's your current commute to college like? Is it 40-60 minutes as well, or is it much shorter? Do you enjoy long commutes or do you think you'd find yourself burnt-out from having to make that long of a drive frequently, especially if you'll only have been driving for a few months?
Hope this helped, and best of luck with whichever option you choose! 🙂
Eve (Kingston Rep).
Ooo I never thought about comparing it to how i get to college thanks! Well for me it takes about an hour by bus to get to school 😅 and yeah I get quite tired after the journey… It would also be nice to have some independence as well! Thank you!
Reply 6
Raving
OP
4
Original post
by Banana_99would you prefer to stay with your family or move out and have more independence
Im not really sure to be honest but I would like some independence of some sort!
Reply 7
Raving
OP
4
Original post
by University of Salford Student RepHi @Raving
This is a really good question, and I can see Imane has already given some great advice. That's fantastic that you are planning to learn to drive, I know how expensive it is from when I learned to drive, so I know it is an investment.
Whether you commute to university or move to live nearby depends on what is best for you and what you want from your university experience. There are pros and cons to commuting or living away from home.
Commuting:
💫 A great to save money as often rent/bills are cheaper if your family do ask you to contribute towards them.
💫 You might get help with the chores at home such as washing and cooking.
💫 You can stay involved with your local area and friends.
However, you may find it trickier to get involved with social gatherings or impromptu get-togethers, if you do drive the cost of petrol and parking needs to be factored in.
How often you are required at university for your course?
How would an hour's commute each way affect your energy levels and capacity to study?
Is it possible to get to university without a car if yours needs to go to the garage? Or if you need a bit longer than just the summer to learn to drive?
Of course, if you move away from home your overheads increase as you will need to pay rent and bills. It is worth checking with Student Finance England (SFE) if you're eligible for more student finance if you live away from home.
Could you afford to do this? Or would you need to work alongside your studies to supplement your income?
Living Away from Home:
💫 Can be easier to socialise, not needing to drive home late at night.
💫 Some students find they have more independence moving out for the first time.
💫 You are closer to university, so you can get up a little later if you do have early lectures and don't have a commute back home after a long day.
However, as you will have guessed there are cons to this too, because in most cases it is more expensive to live away from home, you need to find somewhere to live, and you don't necessarily have anyone to help with the household tasks e.g., cleaning.
I am a mature student, so didn't feel the need to move into Halls of Residence, but I know lots of students on my course loved living in student accommodation for the first year as not only did they make friends on their course, but many made great friends with their flatmates even going on to get a student house in second-year together. I know many of my coursemates liked having the accomodation staff on hand for any maintenance issues, or more often to store their Amazon delivery safely for them whilst they were out at lectures.
Again there are pros and cons to living in halls of residence or a student house. Student houses are often cheaper than halls of residence, they can be quieter as there are fewer people and fewer social events, but they may be further away from where you study.
If you do decide to look at moving away from home I would advise going to have a look at your accommodation options to see if you can see yourself living there.
Often if you attend an Open Day there is an opportunity to view the student accommodation (if your chosen university has any) and they might be able to give you advice on reputable local housing providers if you are considering a student house. If you haven't been to an Open Day but would like to then get in touch with your chosen university, some universities like mine offer ad-hoc campus tours too if there isn't an opportunity to view the university for a while.
I hope that helps a little. Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. I am happy to help!
Best of luck with your driving lessons!
Lucy 🙂
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)
This is a really good question, and I can see Imane has already given some great advice. That's fantastic that you are planning to learn to drive, I know how expensive it is from when I learned to drive, so I know it is an investment.
Whether you commute to university or move to live nearby depends on what is best for you and what you want from your university experience. There are pros and cons to commuting or living away from home.
Commuting:
💫 A great to save money as often rent/bills are cheaper if your family do ask you to contribute towards them.
💫 You might get help with the chores at home such as washing and cooking.
💫 You can stay involved with your local area and friends.
However, you may find it trickier to get involved with social gatherings or impromptu get-togethers, if you do drive the cost of petrol and parking needs to be factored in.
How often you are required at university for your course?
How would an hour's commute each way affect your energy levels and capacity to study?
Is it possible to get to university without a car if yours needs to go to the garage? Or if you need a bit longer than just the summer to learn to drive?
Of course, if you move away from home your overheads increase as you will need to pay rent and bills. It is worth checking with Student Finance England (SFE) if you're eligible for more student finance if you live away from home.
Could you afford to do this? Or would you need to work alongside your studies to supplement your income?
Living Away from Home:
💫 Can be easier to socialise, not needing to drive home late at night.
💫 Some students find they have more independence moving out for the first time.
💫 You are closer to university, so you can get up a little later if you do have early lectures and don't have a commute back home after a long day.
However, as you will have guessed there are cons to this too, because in most cases it is more expensive to live away from home, you need to find somewhere to live, and you don't necessarily have anyone to help with the household tasks e.g., cleaning.
I am a mature student, so didn't feel the need to move into Halls of Residence, but I know lots of students on my course loved living in student accommodation for the first year as not only did they make friends on their course, but many made great friends with their flatmates even going on to get a student house in second-year together. I know many of my coursemates liked having the accomodation staff on hand for any maintenance issues, or more often to store their Amazon delivery safely for them whilst they were out at lectures.
Again there are pros and cons to living in halls of residence or a student house. Student houses are often cheaper than halls of residence, they can be quieter as there are fewer people and fewer social events, but they may be further away from where you study.
If you do decide to look at moving away from home I would advise going to have a look at your accommodation options to see if you can see yourself living there.
Often if you attend an Open Day there is an opportunity to view the student accommodation (if your chosen university has any) and they might be able to give you advice on reputable local housing providers if you are considering a student house. If you haven't been to an Open Day but would like to then get in touch with your chosen university, some universities like mine offer ad-hoc campus tours too if there isn't an opportunity to view the university for a while.
I hope that helps a little. Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. I am happy to help!
Best of luck with your driving lessons!
Lucy 🙂
(Official Uni of Salford Student Rep)
That is amazing! Thank so much - very insightful
Reply 8
Raving
OP
4
Original post
by University of Surrey Student RepHello Raving,
This will totally depend on your circumstances and personal preferences. I also live an hour away from university and I prefer living in student accomodation as opposed to commuting.
Living in student accomodation allows me to be closer to my lectures and the university library which is great for me when I've got a 9:00 am or when I need to work on assignments. It just gives me greater flexibility at university overall.
When it comes to having a car to get to university, you might want to check if you'll be able to park your car and how that works as some universities don't always have enough parking.
In terms of what you'll need for university accommodation, this will depend on accomodation that you're in. For university accomodation I would recommend bringing the following at least:
Bedding, Towels, Kitchenware (saucepans; colander; tea towels; cutlery etc), drying rack if you won't be using the tumble dryers at university, a laundry basket or shopping trolley or suitcase for transporting clothes.
The Student Room also has a guide here on what to pack for student accomodation: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/university/freshers/what-to-take-to-university-checklist
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Hope this helps,
Imane
Placement-Year Languages student
This will totally depend on your circumstances and personal preferences. I also live an hour away from university and I prefer living in student accomodation as opposed to commuting.
Living in student accomodation allows me to be closer to my lectures and the university library which is great for me when I've got a 9:00 am or when I need to work on assignments. It just gives me greater flexibility at university overall.
When it comes to having a car to get to university, you might want to check if you'll be able to park your car and how that works as some universities don't always have enough parking.
In terms of what you'll need for university accommodation, this will depend on accomodation that you're in. For university accomodation I would recommend bringing the following at least:
Bedding, Towels, Kitchenware (saucepans; colander; tea towels; cutlery etc), drying rack if you won't be using the tumble dryers at university, a laundry basket or shopping trolley or suitcase for transporting clothes.
The Student Room also has a guide here on what to pack for student accomodation: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/university/freshers/what-to-take-to-university-checklist
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Hope this helps,
Imane
Placement-Year Languages student
Thank you for the advice!!!
Reply 9
Original post
by RavingTips? Im currently like 40 - 60 minutes from my uni by car but i dont drive 😅
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Hi there,
This is a great question and I thought I could add my insight into this too.
I do not commute, but my home town is also around an hour away from my Uni. I think for me, the commute would be doable but it would be quite tiring and I also like being near to the campus and just living away from home.
Here are the things I considered when deciding whether or not to commute:
1.
How often do you think you will be at uni? Different courses at different Universities will have different amounts of contact hours so it may be worth seeing if you can find out how many contact hours your course may have. The more you will be in Uni, the more with it is to live in accommodation in my opinion.
1.
How much your commute will cost. It won't cost as much as living in accommodation of course, but it may be more than you think. This also differs if you get the bus, train, or drive etc. It's also worth thinking about whether the commute will be direct - will you have to get a bus to the train station and then a bus at the other end? Or is it more direct?
1.
It may also be worth doing a test journey of the commute before you decide. Maybe try and do it as if you were going to Uni for a 9am as this way you will see how long it takes in rush hour and also what the traffic is like and if you were willing to do that a couple of days a week.
1.
Another thing to think about is whether you think you would like doing your work at the library and if so, would you like living close by in case you wanted to get some work done? Or, do you think you would rather just work from home anyway.
It really depends on each person so have a think about all of these and you could also look into accommodation in your uni city/town and see if you like the look of any as this may make up your mind!
I hope some of this helps,
Lucy -SHU student ambassador 🙂
Original post
by RavingThat is amazing! Thank so much - very insightful
No problem at all. Lucy 🙂
Reply 11
Original post
by RavingTips? Im currently like 40 - 60 minutes from my uni by car but i dont drive 😅
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Im planning to learn in the summer tho…
Im not sure whether i should just stay at home and commute to uni everyday or get a student accommodation/ fond a place to live - but i dont want to expand my expenses
Any opinions / tips
also what would i need for a uni accommodation if i do end up doing that
Hi
This can be a really difficult decision, however, I would make sure that you consider the costs of both options as driving or using public transport will cost more than you think. I think ultimately, it comes down to if you want to move away from home and develop new skills away from home, for example, organisational and independence skills.
I hope this helps,
Matt
Wrexham Uni Reps
Quick Reply
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