What is considered a long commute??
5
What will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
Do consider whether that's the door to door commute length or just the length of the time you're on the primary mode of transport. You need to factor in all the time also walking to/from car parking/train stations/bus stops, any wait times if you have to change somewhere midway, etc. As that is actually the real time you'll experience in your commute and you really notice it!
But honestly for a course with practicals and placements like physiotherapy I'd probably not suggest commuting for the core lectuers etc, because you probably will already need to add commutes/travel to go to placements eventually.
I'd suggest aiming to live in accommodation at least in first year - this gives you the best chance to get familiar with the uni, meet other people, get well settled into the course, and understand what the time demands of the course are for you while being nearby. You can then properly assess if a commute would be feasible for e.g. second/third year
But honestly for a course with practicals and placements like physiotherapy I'd probably not suggest commuting for the core lectuers etc, because you probably will already need to add commutes/travel to go to placements eventually.
I'd suggest aiming to live in accommodation at least in first year - this gives you the best chance to get familiar with the uni, meet other people, get well settled into the course, and understand what the time demands of the course are for you while being nearby. You can then properly assess if a commute would be feasible for e.g. second/third year
Reply 2
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
Hey @El1f,
It depends on the individual themselves but I personally would consider one hour and fifteen minutes to be a long commute (especially if that's on public transport with the possibility of further delays). However, if you're already used to a long commute due to school/college, commuting that length of time to uni may not bother you.
If possible, I'd try to find out how often you'd be in class. If it's a practical course, you may be expected to be in quite a lot (four/five days a week) in which case it may be better to look at accommodation options to prevent burn-out in the long run.
Hope this helps,
Eve (Kingston Rep).
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
Hi!
I personally drive to my uni every day and this can take between 30-60 minutes, depending on what time of day I'm travelling as if it's rush hour it can take a good hour. Not ideal when I've had 9am lectures but not so bad when I'm only in at midday. For me this has been worth it and staying in accommodation wasn't an option for me with my personal situation but it has definitely had its downsides - i.e. rush hour and very early starts/very late finishes.
Burnout is something to consider too at university especially around deadline season and potentially quite long days at times, particularly with a course like physiotherapy. I know I've sometimes felt the added pressure of having to spend long amounts of time travelling which I could have spent on other things, even if that was just getting to relax for a bit before getting on with more work at home. The amount of times I've thought wow I really could do with that extra hour in bed, but I've had to get up earlier and spend it sat in rush hour traffic instead - it has been a lot sometimes and I've felt quite envious of those able to walk 5 minutes across campus and be back home already after a long day!
In terms of social occasions too, it may be worth considering if you'd be forced into saying no to hanging out with friends and joining in. I've personally found lots of ways where I could still be involved with things and again made it work for me, but it usually takes a lot more planning ahead and I'm not able to be as spontaneous as others. Maybe consider the sort of stuff you'd like to do, maybe going to the gym with a friend or grabbing some food somewhere? If you could still make this work then great 😊
An hour and 15 is a fair bit of time so I'd definitely be considering the impact this could have in the long run. However, everyone's situations are different and accommodation is not always a viable option financially. If you are a sociable person and keen to get out and meet people (through societies for example) then missing out on accommodation shouldn't impact you having a fun social life. I'd say try calculate what your financial situation will be both for accommodation and for commuting and compare whether the difference is worth it.
It could be good to chat to current physiotherapy students, or the course staff from your course, if you can. Maybe on an open day or if your uni has a 'chat to current students' option through their website? And ask if they think your commute option would be too much or not with the course demands 😊
Becky
University of Salford Student Rep
Reply 4
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
Hey,
Honestly, most people consider a one hour commute pretty normal, with anything more than that starting to feel long. It highly depends on your schedule and what your week looks like.
For example, I commute about 2 hours, but that’s only possible for me as I don’t have many classes per week. If I had to do that journey every day, it would probably be quite exhausting.
Regarding practicals… This might involve more frequent or early sessions, which can make long commutes more tiring. In terms of social life, not living in student accommodation doesn’t mean you won’t have one. A lot of socialising happens during the day too, like in between classes, in societies, in group study, etc.
I’d mainly think of how many days a week you actually need to be on campus and how early your classes/ practicals start. I hope this helped, best of luck!!
Sabina
Reply 5
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
Hi there,
I hope you are doing well! I think a large factor to consider is how often you will be at university for lectures etc. For example, if you are at Uni 5 days a week, from 9-6 everyday, you have to consider whether you want to sit on a train for 2 hours per day or not. There is also a lot of reliance that will be based upon the trains running on time, and if the trains are not often you may have to find alternative options straight away.
Your social life will not be 'damaged' as you will have multiple opportunities still to interact with your peers outside of a lecture setting!
Hope this helps!
Rachel (UoS Student Room Rep)
Reply 6
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
Hi @El1f👋
Hope you are well. In my opinion, I would consider 1 hour maximum as a long commute because traffic can also affect the journey so it may take longer as well depending on how you travel. Train is pretty good but there can be delays on cancelled trains especially when they sometimes go on strike. Car is also good but traffic can mess the journey up a bit so it is good to plan ahead and leave early for the journey.
Commuting I would say is good especially if you are an hour away and already have a place you can stay and do not mind the travelling. However, sometimes it is difficult because classes get scheduled or cancelled last minute sometimes as well as sessions on campus that may be helpful. Being on campus has benefits too such as being closer to friends and easier opportunities to socialise as well as having access to the facilities. For your course, you may have facilities you can practice in which may benefit you if you stay on campus but it is your choice. If you stay off campus and commute, it is still ok since you could stay on campus during the days a bit longer after classes to do work or meet friends and socialise anyway if you wish?
Essex Student Rep-Lavanya 💜
Reply 7
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
Hi @El1f ,
This really depends on you and what you are willing to do!
As a general rule, for me I wouldn't want to do more than an hour but that is just me. However, if you are happy to do a bit longer so that you can save money on an accommodation, it might be worth it! The best advice I could give is to try the journey yourself at a busy time and see if you think you would be able to do it multiple times a week and this will give you the best idea of how the commute is and if you would be happy to do it.
I think it also depends on how you will be travelling and is it 1 hr 15 door to door? If it is door to door that's not so bad but if it is a 1 hr 15 train and you still have to get to and from the train station, you need to factor this in too. If you are getting the train, you may be able to do some work on the train too which could be good.
Another thing which will affect your decision is how often you will be in uni. I only have 9 contact hours a week so for me it would be doable, but if you are in every day it will get quite tiring! You could try and ask some current students or ask at an applicant open day how often they are in to give you a bit of an idea on if you would be able to do it.
In terms of making friends, there is no reason that you wouldn't make friends! You will still meet people on your course, and there are still lots of societies that you could join! I would also recommend joining some groups on social media so you can meet people this way, and also looking to see if your SU puts any events on as you will meet people there too which you will make friends with.
I hope some of this helps,
Lucy -SHU student ambassador 🙂
Reply 8
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
Honestly an hour to an hour and a half commute each way is pretty common for a lot of students, especially if they’re trying to save money on accommodation. 1h15 isn’t unheard of, but it can start to feel quite long if you’re doing it every day, especially with early lectures or practical sessions. With a course like physiotherapy I’d probably think about how often you’ll actually need to be on campus because the practicals can make your timetable a bit more fixed compared to some other courses. If you’re travelling in for labs, placements or early morning sessions it might feel quite tiring after a while. Ive got a few friends who commute and it does change things but normally they stay at ours after a night out and it saves them alot of money with no need to pay rent or cook.
In terms of social life, you definitely don’t need to drink or go to pubs to have one. Most people meet friends through their course, societies, sports or just hanging around campus between classes. The only thing with commuting is you might find yourself heading home earlier than others, which can make it a bit harder to stay for spontaneous things.
A lot of people try commuting in first year and see how it feels, then move into accommodation in second year if it’s too much. If the commute is direct and reliable it’s definitely doable, but it really depends on how many days a week you’re expected on campus.
Anthony
Student rep
Reply 9
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
Hello,
A lot of people do commute to uni, so you definitely wouldn’t be alone in that. Generally, people consider around 45 minutes to 1 hour each way to be a typical commute, so 1 hour 15 minutes is a tad on the longer side, but it’s still manageable.
The main things to think about are how often you’ll need to be on campus and how early your practicals might start, especially with a course like Physiotherapy which can have a lot of in-person sessions. If you’re travelling several days a week, the time and cost of travel can add up, so it’s worth comparing it to accommodation costs.
Also, depends on what mode. Trains and buses are tempremental and may be late or cancelled which will have a negative impact on your schedule and may cause you to miss session.
Best thing to do is weigh your options, including time, money and effort. and that will help you decide.
Best of luck!
Malak- UOS
Reply 10
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
eah an hour is a long commute anything over 1 /2 an hour I'd usually recommend getting halls you gain so much from the halls experience even if i t is scary at times particularly first year it's so valuable in ways i can't even explain.
Reply 11
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
hey @El1f
I’d say 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes commute each way is definitely around the upper end of what people consider manageable for university, but plenty of students do it. The main thing to think about is how many days a week you’ll be on campus, for example, if your course has lots of practicals (like Physiotherapy) and you’re expected in quite often, it’s understandable if the commute starts to feel tiring over time, especially if you also want to stay later for group work or societies.
That said, some students prefer commuting because it saves a lot of money on accommodation, so it can definitely work if you’re organised and don’t mind the travel.
In terms of social life, I wouldn’t worry too much about not being interested in pubs or drinking. Despite the stereotype, I know lots of uni students who barely drink or don’t drink at all (it doesn’t really interest me either!), and there are loads of other ways people socialise. Things like societies, sports, study groups, coffee meetups, events on campus, and daytime activities are really common. I know many students who do stuff outside of uni too, e.g. I have joined some craft clubs and running clubs outside of the university.
Ultimately it comes down to what matters most to you — saving money vs. convenience and time — but a 1h15 commute is definitely something students do if accommodation costs are a big concern.
Good luck with everything.
From Cara (2nd year Marketing student)
Reply 12
Original post
by El1fWhat will you consider a long commute? Most people say 1 hour max for each way what is everyone else’s idea?. I am in the dilemma of commuting an 1 h 15minutes. I know it is considered as long however, I am debating wether I should get an accommodation as accommodations are expensive. Would I have
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
a good social life I am not really interested in pubs/drinking. Also my course is has practicals as it is Physiotherapy.
Hi @El1f,
I commuted just over an hour during my placement year. I found it manageable to start with but it is definitely tiring. I would say it's a long commute but everyone is different and finds it differently. I think it also varies how often you commute as I did it five days a week and as that got a bit much I then went down to four. It might be wroth contacting your university to find out how many days you would be in even if the timetables aren't finalised as that will be able to help with your decision.
In terms of a social life, I do think it's easier living on campus but you can definitely still make the most of commuting and being social. I studied with many peers who commuted and what helped them in terms of this, was that they wouldn't just come in for an hour or two lecture but would spend the day on campus to study and do activities when they were organised by the SU or the university. I think it's about what you make of it and how important the social aspect is for you. As you said you are not interested in drinking then, most activities you may be interested in would be during the day so you won't have issues commuting back home late.
I would also say to write down a pros and cons list to see if that helps. It's such a simple task and really helped me with decision making at university. I would also suggest, working out how much your commute would be compared to your accommodation. I wanted to be on campus to be able to use the facilities as my course was course work based and practical. That is something to also consider. Will you be bringing a lot of things in?
Lastly, I would say that there are many roles and ways of student making some extra money at most universities including student ambassadors and content creators. These roles work great around your time and your lecturers if you do think you would need an extra income to help with the accommodation and living costs. A lot of students also work part time, which is what I did from 2nd year on wards, which to me was another great way to make new friends.
Hope this helps and you make the best decision for you! 🙂
Best wishes,
^Zac
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