Commuting to university

My son wanted to commute to study his law degree. We did a trial run it was a disaster we got the wrong bus time (my fault ) and we had campus tour booked for it became very stressful. He no wants to stay.
Do you miss out if you commute.

Reply 1

Admit-One

Universities Forum Helper

21

There's no set answer to this, some people live on campus and hate it and move home, some people commute and find it intolerable. It's certainly a different experience commuting, but that doesn't mean it's dreadful for everyone.

I would not let one missed bus colour his opinion.

Is he starting this year or next? Does he have a chance to speak to some current students about their experiences commuting or living nearby?

Reply 2

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

17

Original post

by Anonymous

My son wanted to commute to study his law degree. We did a trial run it was a disaster we got the wrong bus time (my fault ) and we had campus tour booked for it became very stressful. He no wants to stay.
Do you miss out if you commute.

Hi,

As mentioned, it is completely down to personal preference whether you commute or move out for uni. I moved out for uni but know plenty of people that commute and they have not missed out on a single thing! Missing transport or getting confused with the right time and place to be is a very common mistake, especially as it was his first time trialing it! The more it is done then the more it will just become routine and your son will be making his way to uni without even thinking about it!

Is the commute long? or is it just a short bus ride away? Either is fine and once he gets the hang of it he will be back and forth very easily. Your son will meet plenty of people aswell that will both commute and have moved out so he will get the best of both worlds and then maybe for his second year if he decides he wants to stay then there is always the option to move out then!

You certainly do not miss out at uni if you commute, of course it can be a lot different to staying in student halls but there will be so many opportunities for your son to join societies/clubs and many other things to meet loads of new people and overall have an amazing time at uni!

Let me know if you have any other questions, I am more than happy to help!

Thanks, Matt 😁
Official LJMU Student Rep

Reply 3

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

13

Original post

by Anonymous

My son wanted to commute to study his law degree. We did a trial run it was a disaster we got the wrong bus time (my fault ) and we had campus tour booked for it became very stressful. He no wants to stay.
Do you miss out if you commute.

Hey,

Don’t worry too much about the trial run. Those first attempts almost always feel more stressful than they actually will be once you’ve settled into a routine. Missing a bus or getting timings wrong happens to everyone at some point, so it’s not a reflection of whether commuting itself is a bad idea.

When it comes to commuting, you definitely don’t miss out in the sense of lectures, resources, or academic support, all of that is the same whether you live on campus or not. Where people sometimes feel the difference is in the social side of things. If your son is commuting, it might take a little more planning to join in with late-night events, societies, or casual hangouts after lectures. But plenty of students commute and still get involved. It just means being a bit more intentional about sticking around after class sometimes or picking societies that meet at convenient times.

On the flip side, commuting can also have benefits. Saving money on accommodation, staying closer to family, and sometimes even having a quieter study environment away from campus. It really depends on what your son values most about the uni experience.

If he’s now leaning towards staying on campus, that could be a good compromise for making the most of the social and independent living side of uni life. But if commuting is the more practical option, he absolutely won’t “miss out” academically, and socially it just takes a bit more effort to balance. I commute to university and still made friends and got the whole uni experience.

Good luck 😊
Arslan – University of Salford Student Representative

Reply 4

Manchester Met - Student Rep

Official Rep

16

Original post

by Anonymous

My son wanted to commute to study his law degree. We did a trial run it was a disaster we got the wrong bus time (my fault ) and we had campus tour booked for it became very stressful. He no wants to stay.
Do you miss out if you commute.

Hi there!
I completely understand how your son feels after a stressful trial run. Please don't worry, a bad travel day doesn't mean the whole experience will be bad.
It’s a common dilemma, and the truth is, both commuting and living on campus can lead to a fantastic university experience. It just depends on what he wants.

•

Living on campus offers the convenience of being on the doorstep for events and activities.

•

Commuting can be a great way to save money and gives you a good separation between home and campus life.

As a student who commutes, I can tell you that while it can feel a little stressful at first, once you get into a routine, it becomes much easier. The feeling of missing out often changes once you get settled. A great university experience is what you make of it! 😊
Rachel
(Third year)
Undergraduate Multimedia Journalism

Reply 5

Kingston Zhi En

Official Rep

10

Original post

by Anonymous

My son wanted to commute to study his law degree. We did a trial run it was a disaster we got the wrong bus time (my fault ) and we had campus tour booked for it became very stressful. He no wants to stay.
Do you miss out if you commute.

Hi there,
So sorry to hear about your trial run, its common to get lost the first time round. Just to add on to what the others have mentioned, it really boils down to your personal preference and managing costs. I had quite a few peers who commuted to uni and they made the most of their experience by going to clubs and societies, sometimes staying late into the evenings to study with friends or crashing over at a friends place to finish up for a looming deadline. Once you get use to the commute, it gets a lot easier 🙂 I hope this helps.

Zhi En
(Kingston student rep.)

Reply 6

hallamstudents

Official Rep

18

Original post

by Anonymous

My son wanted to commute to study his law degree. We did a trial run it was a disaster we got the wrong bus time (my fault ) and we had campus tour booked for it became very stressful. He no wants to stay.
Do you miss out if you commute.

Hi there,

As everyone has said, commuting is a completely personal preference and some people prefer it, and some don't. However there are still plenty of ways to meet people and make friends while commuting so don't worry too much about this as there are still lots of ways to make friends and not miss out.

I would suggest maybe doing another trial run. Not everything goes to plan the first time you do it, but it will be fine, so doing another trial run to show that it is fine sounds like a good idea. It's a good idea to try this when it might be the busiest times to travel (getting there for 9am, leaving at 4/5 pm) to give you a good idea of what it might be like travelling in rush hour, just to give you and your son the best idea of how it will be.

In terms of making friends while commuting, here are some ways that you can meet people, just to give you a bit of an idea of how you might meet people:

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Having a look on social media. Often there will be groups on social media such as Facebook where you will meet people from your uni, your course etc and this can sometimes be less daunting than meeting people face to face. There may also be a group for people who commute so have a look at this too.

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Societies are good to join as you get to meet so many new people while doing this, and you get to do something fun that you enjoy too! They will have varying degrees of commitment, so see if you can find some which require less commitment just so you don't have to commute in multiple times a week for it.

•

See what events the SU puts on as often the student union will do events where you can try something new or do something fun and meet some new people!

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Talk to people in your lectures and seminars. You will meet so many people here and you might be surprised at how many people want to meet up and do things so it is worth asking people you meet here!

I hope some of this helps,

Lucy - SHU student ambassador.

Commuting to university

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