Commuting

Is it worth commuting? I am from York and applied to universities in Manchester which I want to make my firm. I applied for law and Im not sure if its worth commuting because I drive but would it be easier to drive or spending money daily on the train. Will unis help me with this financially too?

Reply 1

University of Strathclyde Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post

by Anonymous

Is it worth commuting? I am from York and applied to universities in Manchester which I want to make my firm. I applied for law and Im not sure if its worth commuting because I drive but would it be easier to drive or spending money daily on the train. Will unis help me with this financially too?

Heya! (:

Ive both commuted and stayed in flats in the nearby area, ive found both have their pros and cons!

for commuting i found it great for saving some money, being close to family and also having that gap between uni - when i was commuting i had quite bit gaps between some of my classes which i found pretty good for getting some work done on campus since i wasnt close enough for it to really make sense to head back home, i did however find it pretty exhausting at times - i also dont drive so was carrying a lot on me at all times, especially days i was in the lab which was pretty annoying 🥲 - also you'll have to take into account the traffic on some days for getting in, would generally be leaving a bit earlier if your in the city if you have early classes or your finishing ~5pm as its usually busy! - with trains, also sometimes have delays and cancellations last minute which i did find affected my attendence a bit. - unis are aware of these type of things and usually upload a lot of lecture slides online and things to help with any absences but just something to think about!

money wise, with the train i was able to get a monthly railcard, which overall was what worked out cheaper for me as i was in 4-5 days a week - also meant i could travell into the city centre as many times as i wanted, including for concerts and other things (: - also around christmas i was able to just not purchase one since i was only in occasionally for exams, generally depends on you might be cheaper in the long run than driving + parking with it being city centre, would reccomend trying to calculate a rough cost to decide ths (:

With my flat, i mainly chose to move because i was in 4-5 times a week 9-5pm and was finding the travel to be pretty tiring and knew for 2nd year the workload was going to ramp up quite a bit! - in first year i was also working ~14 hrs a week - with just commuting i was able to save a bit before moving out which put the pressure off finding a job a little which was really nice for getting settled in and used to living away😊 - at the time when i started uni i also was 17 lol so wasnt really missing out on clubbing, bars and things like that- but if thats something you enjoy i would think about that with commuting as likely trains will be off at those type of hours for getting back home!

With the flat, I found it a lot more convenient and that i had a bit more time for studying + more study spaces to use - not like i couldnt use the uni libary before lol but by the end of the day I usually just wanted to get into my pjs and have some dinner (: - with being closeby your able to relax a bit after a long day and if you want go back to the uni without that extra travell

Really depends on the uni and your specific situation financially for what they can do, usuaully on the uni website they will have a section on this for if any extra funding help is availble and how you qualify for it and apply - you'll also have your student fiance if you need it which is great for that type of thing - best working out with that how much you'd be able to budget with your living costs + flat & also some fun things to see if it would be worth it for you!

sorry very looooong ramble lol but hope this helps a bit, if you have anymore questions more than happy to have a wee yap!😊

Emily
Year 3, Chemistry
Official University Of Strathclyde Rep

Reply 2

Scotland Yard

Universities Forum Helper

20

Original post

by Anonymous

Is it worth commuting? I am from York and applied to universities in Manchester which I want to make my firm. I applied for law and Im not sure if its worth commuting because I drive but would it be easier to drive or spending money daily on the train. Will unis help me with this financially too?

Really good outline of the pros and cons of both commuting and moving out. I'll just add that moving out for uni was a thing that made me grow a lot, as it is quite the experience to look after yourself and mature. I would recommend moving out just on those grounds (without even considering the many considerable benefits of moving out as outlined by Emily above!)

Reply 3

StaffsRep Aura

Official Rep

10

Original post

by Anonymous

Is it worth commuting? I am from York and applied to universities in Manchester which I want to make my firm. I applied for law and Im not sure if its worth commuting because I drive but would it be easier to drive or spending money daily on the train. Will unis help me with this financially too?

Hey there,
There are many students that commute into University, though it may be worth weighing your options. York to Manchester seems to be around an hour and a half drive, totalling to 3 hours without traffic, the train seems to come out to the same. If you are on an undergraduate degree please consider that you may be in University for a lot more days than a masters student. In my first year I was on campus for 4 days a week, slowly decreasing to 3 and later 1 over the years. Are you prepared to wake up at 6am for a 9am lecture and safely drive home after 5/6PM?

Are you planning to be more social and attend clubs and events? Most societies at University host clubs after 5PM so do take this into consideration. Look into monthly petrol costs too, does living at home come out cheaper than moving into accommodation? From my experience, living outside of campus can often hurt the social aspect of University and my commute is less than an hour by foot! If that isn't your priority, do go for it.

In terms of financial support, universities generally do not provide specific funding for commuting costs. You would still be eligible for the standard Student Finance England maintenance loan but the “living at home” rate is lower than the “living away from home” rate. Universities may offer bursaries, scholarships or hardship funds but these are means-tested and not designed to cover routine commuting expenses. You should assume you will be paying commuting costs yourself as a worst-case scenario.

Would love to hear more from students who have longer commutes and their experiences.

Aura (Uni of Staffs)

Reply 4

Kingston Zhi En

Official Rep

11

Original post

by Anonymous

Is it worth commuting? I am from York and applied to universities in Manchester which I want to make my firm. I applied for law and Im not sure if its worth commuting because I drive but would it be easier to drive or spending money daily on the train. Will unis help me with this financially too?

Hiya,
It is not that uncommon to commute to uni however it really depends how many scheduled in-person classes you have within your course curriculum 🙂 If you have to be in uni most of the time, it might be good to consider living in halls for the first year and seeing how you like it?
If you are set on commuting, you can check if the uni of your choice offers any grants or bursaries that are applicable to you. You might also want to consider working part-time at uni as a student ambassador or within the faculty (eg. library, reception) as they offer flexible working hours that might help fund your travel. A rail card is also a must have if you are planning to get the train.
I hope this helps 🤗

Reply 5

University of Salford Student Rep

Official Rep

13

Hi, I currently commute from just outside Manchester, with a good days drive being 35 minutes. However, Manchester traffic is notorious. Just this Friday it took me 2 hours to get in for half 10, which usually means light traffic as it's past rush hour. For 9am lectures I generally choose to use the trains. As although they can be delayed, train companies try to minimise delay time otherwise they must give refunds.

I currently have a course mate who is commuting from London daily, and another who commutes from Birmingham. In both cases since it is a 2 + hour direct train they use the time to complete their readings and also write essays during deadline season. So if you have a long journey on a train it can be really useful to start that habit and use the time wisely.

Commuting with public transport can reduce how many social events you engage in as you do have to think about when the first/last train of the day is. The course mate who commutes from Birmingham spent the first year in halls, to really build those friendships, and then started commuting after that. Knowing that they had a place to stay overnight if their train was cancelled or they went to a late event mad commuting less stressful for her.

It's worth having a think about whether that would suit you personally or not - you might want to try visiting the universities you're considering for an Open Day or Visit Day if you haven't already to 'test' your commute and see how it works in practice! Bear in mind they might be on a Saturday, so the commuter rush won’t be as bad.

Eleanor
University of Salford Student Rep :grin:

Commuting

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