Commuting to uni

[kal12003]

I appreciate this will be different for everyone but wondered what would be deemed an acceptable commute time from home to uni. Anyones children that have lived at home and commuted - how far? And how did they find it?
My daughter is looking at a London uni that would be an hour commute from where we are in Kent, so 2 hours a day. Cost won’t be an issue as the uni will pay half the rail fare. It’s physiotherapy so I appreciate on placement blocks will be tough as will be 9-5, mon to fri but aside from this she only needs to be in 3, sometimes 4 days a week and one of those is a half day.
Thanks in advance for your comments.

[hermanmunster]

sounds a bit grim TBH - part of going to Uni and studying courses like that is spending time with others doing the same - tricky to do if you have an hour commute to get home.

If cost of living in London is an issue then perhaps look at physio schools outside London

[kal12003]

sounds a bit grim TBH - part of going to Uni and studying courses like that is spending time with others doing the same - tricky to do if you have an hour commute to get home.

If cost of living in London is an issue then perhaps look at physio schools outside London

Appreciate your honesty and comments, having not been to uni myself I’m possibly looking at it from a different angle. Dd however is not keen on living away though, has health issues and would rather stay at home. Frustratingly the only uni that does the course in Kent would take longer to get to commuting as there isn’t a direct train and would require multiple changes

[PerpetualStudent]

Hi kal,

Though the commute might make for a long day perhaps it might encourage her to use her time on site more efficiently, since going backwards and forwards won’t be an option. I suspect she won’t be the only student commuting into or across London. And not all halls of residence are on the spot either.
If the train journey is straightforward (and not too crowded) it might allow either academic reading or relaxation (as required).
In addition that extra 1.5-2 days gives her plenty of extra time hanging out with friends/studying as desired.
How often and long are the 9-5 placements? And what year are they? Because, really, it’s just the 1st year that you need to think about right now.
As she makes friends and gets more familiar with London she may choose to stay with friends,on occasion, to achieve the student social life. Perhaps after her first year she may choose to go flatting, in London with uni friends, regardless of how she feels now. (Health permitting).
I never did the living-on- campus thing during my (many) years as a university student. Sometimes I thought I must be missing out on something but then I saw my friends in halls having to up-sticks every holiday and decided I didn’t have it so bad.
Hope some of this is helpful.
PS

[yoyo123]

I was older when I went to uni (29) and commuted by bus in my first year before I could drive. It was quite tough going 5 days a week and I left home about 7:15, some days not getting home until late evening. I used the bus journey to read but at least on a train she could actually work and the seats are definitely more comfortable.

My son probably had about an hour’s journey across Bristol from his accommodation to the actual campus,
Would there be an opportunity to get accommodation in her second year?

[Tinkers]

I know the DD of a colleague commutes from Slough to Reading uni every day. Not sure how she normally travels, since colleague is working from home currently. When he is in the office he drops her off. She can drive but trying to park is a nightmare. Most campus will restrict parking by students I think. She didn’t want to be away from home either.

DD is at Sussex and last year was on campus in halls, she rarely went out since most lectures etc were online.

This year she is living in central Brighton and needs to catch the bus or train to campus, and it takes about half an hour I think. She tends to go to campus and work in the library most of the day when she isn’t in lectures or seminars. She says the commute back home every day gives her chance to wind down and means her flat is not a place of work for the most part but a place to relax.

[Octsmum]

Hi

I started Uni in a shared house but hated it so went home & commuted each day. I lived about 40 miles away - & it took between 45 mins to an hour depending whether I drove or took the train. On the train I used to read / work. Some days (winter especially) the twins were disrupted so perhaps check the reliability of your routes / alternatives. It made sure that I was focused on what I needed from the library etc when I was in. I did partake in some evening social activity - I occasionally stayed over with friends or I drove & didn't drink. I think for end of year balls - I booked a travel lodge equivalent.

I certainly wasn't the only one commuting. I think it is a possibility to consider & compare the financial costs of commute v rent. I certainly preferred to live in a decent house (but I suspect accommodation standards have improved since my time or at least hoping so before my DD goes). It also enabled me to work at the weekends where I had worked in the holidays.

I think it partly depends on your outlook. Uni was a means to an end for me - I was very focused on getting a career at the end, I was intent on getting a good degree & job prospects more than socialising! I would add that I was the first one in my family to go to Uni - so my family had no uni background to share - so living at home whilst studying worked for me. I moved away fully when I got my first job.

[kal12003]

Hi kal,

Though the commute might make for a long day perhaps it might encourage her to use her time on site more efficiently, since going backwards and forwards won’t be an option. I suspect she won’t be the only student commuting into or across London. And not all halls of residence are on the spot either.
If the train journey is straightforward (and not too crowded) it might allow either academic reading or relaxation (as required).
In addition that extra 1.5-2 days gives her plenty of extra time hanging out with friends/studying as desired.
How often and long are the 9-5 placements? And what year are they? Because, really, it’s just the 1st year that you need to think about right now.
As she makes friends and gets more familiar with London she may choose to stay with friends,on occasion, to achieve the student social life. Perhaps after her first year she may choose to go flatting, in London with uni friends, regardless of how she feels now. (Health permitting).
I never did the living-on- campus thing during my (many) years as a university student. Sometimes I thought I must be missing out on something but then I saw my friends in halls having to up-sticks every holiday and decided I didn’t have it so bad.
Hope some of this is helpful.
PS

Thank you for your reply - it is helpful. The train is 40minutes with no change and a 20min walk once she gets off. I’m thinking as she will have 1 day a week without travel it might be ok. The placements in the first year are two blocks of four weeks so I suspect those will be challenging but have discussed with her and she would have a go at staying in a hotel one or two nights a week if the travel during placement became too much. That’s also a really valid point about looking at year one for now - thank you.

[kal12003]

I was older when I went to uni (29) and commuted by bus in my first year before I could drive. It was quite tough going 5 days a week and I left home about 7:15, some days not getting home until late evening. I used the bus journey to read but at least on a train she could actually work and the seats are definitely more comfortable.

My son probably had about an hour’s journey across Bristol from his accommodation to the actual campus,
Would there be an opportunity to get accommodation in her second year?

Thank you for replying - I’m not sure it would be affordable, based on the student maintenance loan it would not cover it and we don’t have any funds to help. I guess if she changed her mind or the travel became unsustainable we would make it work somehow.

[kal12003]

Hi

I started Uni in a shared house but hated it so went home & commuted each day. I lived about 40 miles away - & it took between 45 mins to an hour depending whether I drove or took the train. On the train I used to read / work. Some days (winter especially) the twins were disrupted so perhaps check the reliability of your routes / alternatives. It made sure that I was focused on what I needed from the library etc when I was in. I did partake in some evening social activity - I occasionally stayed over with friends or I drove & didn't drink. I think for end of year balls - I booked a travel lodge equivalent.

I certainly wasn't the only one commuting. I think it is a possibility to consider & compare the financial costs of commute v rent. I certainly preferred to live in a decent house (but I suspect accommodation standards have improved since my time or at least hoping so before my DD goes). It also enabled me to work at the weekends where I had worked in the holidays.

I think it partly depends on your outlook. Uni was a means to an end for me - I was very focused on getting a career at the end, I was intent on getting a good degree & job prospects more than socialising! I would add that I was the first one in my family to go to Uni - so my family had no uni background to share - so living at home whilst studying worked for me. I moved away fully when I got my first job.

Thank you for your response. The rail fair would be £5000 but the uni will pay £3000 of that so definitely makes financial sense as opposed to staying in uni accommodation. My daughter is not a social butterfly at all and will just crack on with the work so will not be worried about social nights out etc. My older daughter is due to start uni this year and she is the first in our immediate and extended family to go, she’s been lucky in that the course she wants is at a local uni that’s only 10minutes on the train