Coping with long-ish commutes...

[Chapeltom]

Hi all.

I'm off to study at Liverpool Hope University next month but will be commuting for the next 3 years every day, by road its 52 miles, by rail either 47 miles or 51 miles depending on which station I use! Its 1.5 -2 hours with a 1 mile walk at either end, so quite a way every day.

Anyone else commute a similar distance to work/uni and do you cope well with it? I'm scared of getting fed up of it after a while, I don't mind travelling at all and don't mind the early starts that will inevitably follow. Is it possible to get used to travelling like that every day?

I also think I've found a cheap way of getting there saving a couple of pounds a day...

Tom

 

[duffman82]

Wouldn't the cheaper option be to live in halls of residence?

I because 50 miles a day will tire you out. I mean i could easily Travel Liverpool to Wolverhampton as its only 1hr 30 mins everyday but the experence of halls of residence is one not too miss!

 

[gordonthemoron]

I commuted Nottingham-London for 6 years, it was an absolute killer. Doing this for university may seriously harm your studies

 

[Greenback]

I would not be able to cope with such a commute. I would live in halls.

 

[Chapeltom]

delete... woops.

 

[DarloRich]

I would live in halls simply for the access to pubs and women (sorry did I say that I meant the library). The commute won’t be a “killer” but I might be a PITA! There are people in my office commute Wolverhampton to MK or Croydon to MK every day. My commute is 15 minutes and two trains – terrible!

 

[Chapeltom]

Wouldn't the cheaper option be to live in halls of residence?

I because 50 miles a day will tire you out. I mean i could easily Travel Liverpool to Wolverhampton as its only 1hr 30 mins everyday but the experence of halls of residence is one not too miss!

Fair point, cost is the thing though, its £60 a week to go by train, £90+ food etc in halls. 1st year I'm going to give the commute a go.

I commuted Nottingham-London for 6 years, it was an absolute killer. Doing this for university may seriously harm your studies

Yeah, I'm aware it could do. I'm thinking of doing work on the train where I can, most of the journeys would be half an hour plus.

I would not be able to cope with such a commute. I would live in halls.

I appreciate the honesty, thanks.

I would live in halls simply for the access to pubs and women (sorry did I say that I meant the library). The commute won’t be a “killer” but I might be a PITA! There are people in my office commute Wolverhampton to MK or Croydon to MK every day. My commute is 15 minutes and two trains – terrible!

Pubs - just what I don't want to walk into every two minutes I've a mate who tell you I'll walk into pub and have one, and not leave until I've tried all the hand-pulls

 

[Greenback]

It wouldn't be cheaper by a fair distance, £60 a week to go by train.

It is not only the money factor. Ther eis a large amount of time taken out of each day which would, to my mind, be better spent in a part time job, studying, or both.

I also think that those who live at home when at University miss out on becoming more independent, and learning a lot of important life skills.

 

[Chapeltom]

Woops I meant would be cheaper.

2nd year I've a possibly of time abroad for studying, I'm definitely going to spend some time away during Uni at some point. I spent most of my time out of the house anyway, my parents call me a lodger they never see

 

[DarloRich]

@ Chapeltom - why should testing all the hand pulls be a problem. I see that as normal pub use!

 

[duffman82]

It is not only the money factor. Ther eis a large amount of time taken out of each day which would, to my mind, be better spent in a part time job, studying, or both.

I also think that those who live at home when at University miss out on becoming more independent, and learning a lot of important life skills.

Agreed and You miss out meeting alot of interesting people in halls of residence, trust me, I've lived in halls 2 years going into a 3rd and i wouldn't met half the randomers i have . But having been to Hope University with a friend studying there it's not a bad place. But they get alot less for the £90 they spend per week then what i get at Wolves Uni.

 

[cuccir]

As a recent graduate I'd echo the various comments above about the advantages of living in your university city: not missing out on sports clubs/societies; getting experience of living by yourself (you may not be around at home much, but do you know how to set up a TV licence, pay a bill, fix a broken light bulb, etc...); maximising both leisure and study time.

But if you feel that living at home is right for you, then its worth giving it a shot: you can always find house shares in cities such at Liverpool at fairly short notice, so if you're fed up by December you can still move.

As for the original question - one obvious answer is podcasts. In particular, Radio 4 is a goldmine for interesting shows which may relate to your degree (is it rude to ask what you are studying?), or for comedies which help while away the hours. There are also various academic podcast sites - again, recommending these depends on your subject?

 

[northwichcat]

Do you have any idea what kind of timetable you'll have and how much work you'll need to do at uni outside of timetabled lectures/seminars/tutorials? For instance, if you have to do group assignments or need to use uni computers because they've got software costing thousands of pounds that you've not got, then you may have to do quite a lot of work at uni outside timetabled slots.

When I was at uni I remember having one day where lectures started at 9:15 and finished at 18:45, while another day was 13:15 to 15:15.

If you need to use uni computers you'll probably find Saturday and Sunday mornings are the best times to use them as you'll have plenty of computers to choose from and they'll be a lot less distractions. However, living at home will make that option difficult.

 

[duffman82]

When I was at uni I remember having one day where lectures started at 9:15 and finished at 18:45, while another day was 13:15 to 15:15.

I had this during year 2 where i had a 09.00-11.00 Lecture then a 18.00 -20.00 Lecture for me i only had a 10min walk back to halls where i could relax from 11.00- 18.00, However for the Majority who lived at home at a 7 hour wait on campus because travelling back to there home would be pointless due to distance or cost them alot more in petrol so depending on lecture times it would leave you a very long day!

 

[LexyBoy]

£60 a week for a 50 mile commute?! Flippin 'eck it's cheap up north!

At my company (based near Didcot), many people commute from London - and not near Paddington either. I did for about 9 months - it was OK but bloody tiring especially in the dark months. I certainly wouldn't go back to doing it daily. Before that I commuted to Oxford, but not every day and doing work I could do on the coach. So yes, it's definitely possible to get used to it, but you're not likely to enjoy it all that much.

For Uni, I'd not consider commuting - you'll miss out on so much, as well as (probably, depending on how you cope with the commute) not being able to focus on your studies as well. Basically, what Greenback said . A friend of mine did commute from deepest Sussex to London for Uni though...

 

[WestCoast]

£60 a week for a 50 mile commute?! Flippin 'eck it's cheap up north!

Depends, my commute is 7 miles each way and the season ticket is £17.20 a week, priced by Northern Rail.

I suspect the OP is taking advantage of the fact that season tickets in the GM Area are subsidised by Transport for Greater Manchester and have a maximum weekly amount of £23.80.

The Chapel-en-le-Frith to Liverpool Stations through season ticket is £84.80 per week.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Definitely would advise against commuting (certainly that distance/time) as a student, if you can at all avoid it. I went to university first in a very small town - which was preferable in so many ways, academically, socially, and (in that specific context) financially and then in London (with a commute from where I lived to my college of around an hour).

I've commuted to work for the last 4 years with a journey of about 1 and a half hours in each direction (shared between train from Southend to London and then either a walk or the tube). That's been reasonably OK, I suppose. (the fact the trains are reliable and airconditioned, and that I am pretty much guaranteed a seat in both directions, more or less come what may, helps) Have certainly got through a lot of reading on the journey. One downside? When I go out in London, having to watch the time so as not to miss the last train home (Even if it that is as late as 00.40 on a Saturday, it's still sometimes earlier than I'd like.). As an undergraduate, in particular, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to have been too tied to a relation of "office hours".

 

[northwichcat]

£60 a week for a 50 mile commute?! Flippin 'eck it's cheap up north!

Isn't the 16-25 railcard minimum fare set at £12 before 10am meaning you can buy 5 x £18 Off Peak Returns for £60 a week with a railcard?

It's actually £20.40 for an undiscounted Off Peak Return between Chapel-en-le-Firth and Liverpool Stations and £84.80 for a weekly season ticket, but I noticed he claimed in the OP that he's found a cheap alternative.

 

[Greenback]

Do you have any idea what kind of timetable you'll have and how much work you'll need to do at uni outside of timetabled lectures/seminars/tutorials? For instance, if you have to do group assignments or need to use uni computers because they've got software costing thousands of pounds that you've not got, then you may have to do quite a lot of work at uni outside timetabled slots.

When I was at uni I remember having one day where lectures started at 9:15 and finished at 18:45, while another day was 13:15 to 15:15.

If you need to use uni computers you'll probably find Saturday and Sunday mornings are the best times to use them as you'll have plenty of computers to choose from and they'll be a lot less distractions. However, living at home will make that option difficult.

That's a good point. My degree involved a lot of group work outside of timetabled activities. I chose to live in halls for two years because that made it a lot easier to schedule those sorts of things, and to gain access to facilities outside of the usual working day, when things were much quieter.

Of course, none of this may affect Tom at all - I knew people who only had to read outside of their timetabled lectures and seminars. I wouldn't want him to regret not living in Liverpool later on, but he can always change his mind later.

 

[HugePilchard]

I'd second a lot of things that others have said. Getting a degree is only part of the university experience; the social life for one thing, and the shared experience of living away for the first time.

50 miles is nothing for the occasional trip home, but it's hell of a commute. If you do decide to do it, then I found that the combination of podcasts and reading material were essential when I had a killer commute for work.

 

[muug1982]

Agree that you'll miss a lot by not being on campus or in the city, both socially and academically. A few things to consider on the commute. I commute 2 1/2 hours in each direction, but only have to do so 3 days a week (at most.) It's far harder to commute in Winter - services are busier, travelling in the dark is depressing and delays are more frequent.
1. Without your timetable this is really difficult to answer, as mentioned earlier do you fancy a 6am start for a 9am lecture, not getting home until 9pm in the evening and then doing the same again the next day? Equally do you fancy a 4hr round trip for a one hour lecture.
2. You'll need to be well organised, at my uni a lot of library books etc we're only available for 24 hour loans - equally not knowing the area, if you are travelling to stations on foot don't under-estimate how much weight (textbooks etc) you might need to carry if you've got time to kill.
3. What units are you travelling on. I commute on XC Turbostars and EMT Meridians / HST's and they're OK, you can certainly work / relax on them if you want to. When I occassionally get on FCC it's totally impractical to do so.
4. Will you be on a direct service, if not how tight are the connections, you're likely to keep missing the same lectures if you incur problems which will not endear you to tutors.

 

[DavidBusDriver]

While I have landed on my feet and got myself into the (Trainee still) Train Driving grade, I really regret not being more confident in my youth and not going away for University rather than staying it home for it (and then personal circumstances meaning I had to work full-time after the first year) I really would say the extra coin a week for the whole living away from home would be so so worth it, was fancying Liverpool Uni myself for Aeronautical Engineering!

Really, get away from where your comfort zone is and throw yourself into something new - I've done that myself moving to London on a weeks notice from Geordie-land when I got my position with FCC and have never looked back, do miss a lot of things back up north but its only a 3 1/2 hour train journey away on a weekend if I feel the urge

You know it makes sense!

 

[oversteer]

I would pay far more than £30pw extra to live in halls instead of at home

 

[Chapeltom]

Do you have any idea what kind of timetable you'll have and how much work you'll need to do at uni outside of timetabled lectures/seminars/tutorials? For instance, if you have to do group assignments or need to use uni computers because they've got software costing thousands of pounds that you've not got, then you may have to do quite a lot of work at uni outside timetabled slots.

When I was at uni I remember having one day where lectures started at 9:15 and finished at 18:45, while another day was 13:15 to 15:15.

If you need to use uni computers you'll probably find Saturday and Sunday mornings are the best times to use them as you'll have plenty of computers to choose from and they'll be a lot less distractions. However, living at home will make that option difficult.

Not a clue on timetable yet, though I'd prefer early morning starts as I'm generally more awake at 6am than I am at 8 or 9 at night! Last train to Chinley is 2130 from Liverpool.

I had this during year 2 where i had a 09.00-11.00 Lecture then a 18.00 -20.00 Lecture for me i only had a 10min walk back to halls where i could relax from 11.00- 18.00, However for the Majority who lived at home at a 7 hour wait on campus because travelling back to there home would be pointless due to distance or cost them alot more in petrol so depending on lecture times it would leave you a very long day!

I've taken into account waits for lectures and all, used to go into sixth form and wait 5 hours for a lesson one day a week for a year.

Definitely would advise against commuting (certainly that distance/time) as a student, if you can at all avoid it. I went to university first in a very small town - which was preferable in so many ways, academically, socially, and (in that specific context) financially and then in London (with a commute from where I lived to my college of around an hour).

I've commuted to work for the last 4 years with a journey of about 1 and a half hours in each direction (shared between train from Southend to London and then either a walk or the tube). That's been reasonably OK, I suppose. (the fact the trains are reliable and airconditioned, and that I am pretty much guaranteed a seat in both directions, more or less come what may, helps) Have certainly got through a lot of reading on the journey. One downside? When I go out in London, having to watch the time so as not to miss the last train home (Even if it that is as late as 00.40 on a Saturday, it's still sometimes earlier than I'd like.). As an undergraduate, in particular, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to have been too tied to a relation of "office hours".

I can see what your saying, I'm going from a small town to a big city. I know its going to be a difficult schedule, I'm certainly going to attempt to stick at it for as long as I can.

Isn't the 16-25 railcard minimum fare set at £12 before 10am meaning you can buy 5 x £18 Off Peak Returns for £60 a week with a railcard?

It's actually £20.40 for an undiscounted Off Peak Return between Chapel-en-le-Firth and Liverpool Stations and £84.80 for a weekly season ticket, but I noticed he claimed in the OP that he's found a cheap alternative.

The cheaper fare was (which my Dad found!!)

Chinley to Southport @ £12 valid via Mossley Hill where the campus is.

CEF to Southport @ £13.45 valid via Mossley Hill as well.

I think a lot of people must think I'm absolutely crazy.

Agree that you'll miss a lot by not being on campus or in the city, both socially and academically. A few things to consider on the commute. I commute 2 1/2 hours in each direction, but only have to do so 3 days a week (at most.) It's far harder to commute in Winter - services are busier, travelling in the dark is depressing and delays are more frequent. - Socially, certainly I can understand. I'm one of those people who can be socially useless but I'm considering my options now. This thread is rapidly making me change my mind!

1. Without your timetable this is really difficult to answer, as mentioned earlier do you fancy a 6am start for a 9am lecture, not getting home until 9pm in the evening and then doing the same again the next day? Equally do you fancy a 4hr round trip for a one hour lecture. - Good point

2. You'll need to be well organised, at my uni a lot of library books etc we're only available for 24 hour loans - equally not knowing the area, if you are travelling to stations on foot don't under-estimate how much weight (textbooks etc) you might need to carry if you've got time to kill. - Organisation, that I need to work on. As for carrying heavy books, I hauled 20 kilos over 200 miles of the Coast to Coast in 10 days, I'm not gonna worry about that one

3. What units are you travelling on. I commute on XC Turbostars and EMT Meridians / HST's and they're OK, you can certainly work / relax on them if you want to. When I occassionally get on FCC it's totally impractical to do so.
EMT 158s, Northern 150s/142s/156s. Hmm...

4. Will you be on a direct service, if not how tight are the connections, you're likely to keep missing the same lectures if you incur problems which will not endear you to tutors. See above its 2/3 trains, connections wouldn't be too tight I don't think

While I have landed on my feet and got myself into the (Trainee still) Train Driving grade, I really regret not being more confident in my youth and not going away for University rather than staying it home for it (and then personal circumstances meaning I had to work full-time after the first year) I really would say the extra coin a week for the whole living away from home would be so so worth it, was fancying Liverpool Uni myself for Aeronautical Engineering!

Really, get away from where your comfort zone is and throw yourself into something new - I've done that myself moving to London on a weeks notice from Geordie-land when I got my position with FCC and have never looked back, do miss a lot of things back up north but its only a 3 1/2 hour train journey away on a weekend if I feel the urge

You know it makes sense!

I think its making this harder, maybe this thread is waking me up to reality really. My job is 7 miles from I live now, but I'm gaining bits of work by writing instead which makes me more. I've got a lot to consider and quickly.

 

[route:oxford]

Commutes aren't fun. After a while you do become totally numb to the time spent on the train, but the stress of delays and connections and last trains soon adds up.

I've spent the last 17 years doing one kind of commute or another. I took redundancy last year, then found myself a job within walking distance of my home. It was a revelation - I can go home for lunch, I'm home from work at 17.05! The pay-cut I took for my new job was less than the cost of an annual season ticket to *park* to go to my old job. Wish I'd done it years ago.

Anyway, back on topic.

My advice to you.

Get on the phone to the Uni, ask if there are still vacancies in halls. Meet and greet the people on your floor/hall from day one and build mates for life.

Give it at least a month, it'll pass very quickly.

If you really hate it, after the first fortnight, go home every Weds for dinner with your family and a night in your own bed. Maybe have your laundry done too.

If you really, really hate it. Give up the halls and start commuting. Many unis will allow you to book a room at their heavily discounted "bed&breakfast" rate if you ever need them.

In life it's far better to give something (sane and safe) a try and decide you don't like it instead of wishing you'd done something later.

Your decison though. Don't let anyone bully you into doing something you don't want to.

 

[Greenback]

I think a lot of people must think I'm absolutely crazy.

I think its making this harder, maybe this thread is waking me up to reality really. My job is 7 miles from I live now, but I'm gaining bits of work by writing instead which makes me more. I've got a lot to consider and quickly.

I don't think you're crazy, and I don't think you need to rush into anything.

I don't think you really considered the drudgery of a long commute every day, but you have had the sense to ask how other people have found it, and the responses seem to have given you some food for thought!

But you don't have to make any quick decisions. At my university hall vacancies came up pretty quickly after the start of the academic year, as students dropped out. You could commute for a few weeks and see how it goes, if it is a struggle then move nearer the campus at that point.

 

[anthony263]

I currently commute from Bridgend - Swansea each day when i am in uni, journey time is really only 30-45 minutes. the fact that bridgend is not too far from swansea is 1 reason why i commute rather than live in the halls.

I do know someone who commutes to swansea from Bristol and leaves his home at 05:05 to catch a train from filton abbey wood to cardiff then another train to swansea.

i do agree with what others have said, that you will meet more people if you are living in the halls and it can be stressful if the trains are delayed etc and you are worrying about getting to swansea before 9am, and other reason why i dont stay in the halls is that i am in uni normally only on monday & tuesday 9-2 only in year 2 did i have more longer days.

that said slighly off topic i do know a lot of people who commute 5 days a week from swansea/llanelli to reading/london paddington

 

[telstarbox]

Firstly congratulations and whatever you do, enjoy it! As a uni graduate and now a commuter here are my various unorganised thoughts:

I'd recommend, as others have above, living in halls/a shared house in Liverpool - you'll have a good 40 years after uni when you can commute as much as you like! Commuting works well for office jobs where you leave work at the office but uni is different with reading/essays/coursework to be done in your own time.

It also depends on your timetable - if you have "split shift" days such as lectures at 9am and 4pm, or only one lecture on a certain day, the commute will be less worth it.

As Greenback said you can always change your mind later. All large university cities have more student accommodation than demand, and some students drop out in the first few weeks, so it would be fairly easy to start commuting and get accommodation in Liverpool if it becomes too much.

Although it would cost you more to move away you'd be more able to get a part-time job (if desired) in Liverpool and it would be easier to fit around your studies as you'd live locally.

You should also consider that when it's assessment season, you may have exams starting as early as 9am and not necessarily in your usual buildings (I had a few exams at Sheffield Wednesday's ground, a trek from Sheffield Uni) and coursework deadlines are generally set in stone - so make sure you'd be able to get to Liverpool in plenty of time to sit exams or hand stuff in!


Having said all that, commuting can be ok as long as you get a seat/table - you could:

sleep (becomes easier as you get familiar with the route/stops)
read
do uni work (obviously)
have your breakfast/dinner
listen to music
get a laptop/portable DVD player and watch films
use the internet once you get past Hazel Grove
take up knitting
write your first novel

and so on!

 

[bb21]

There is a guy in my office who commuted from Sheffield into Leicester. Our university office is 20 minutes walk from the station at a leisurely pace and he lives about a mile from Sheffield station. The distance is about 65 miles, so similar to yours and takes an hour on EMT.

After six months, he was completely knackered and ended up living at his sister's house in Loughborough during the week for the remainder of the year before signing up at the halls this year.

Like everyone has said, living in the halls is an experience not to be missed, and first year is the most important time for you to shore up foundation in basic knowledge for your course. Don't tire yourself out.

That said, it is your decision at the end of the day. We all have different preferences in what we perceive as being more important. However when many people are telling you the same thing, it is worth some serious consideration.

 

[HugePilchard]

After six months, he was completely knackered

This is a biggie. A daily commute, especially one with connections, can be tiring and stressful. Before I was made redundant earlier in the year, I spent over three hours a day getting to and from work. One of my colleagues helpfully pointed out that I was spending something like 1/10 of my life just going to and from work. My other half used to find that I was quite zombie-like in the evenings. I'd spend my Saturday unwilling to do anything because I was so knackered from the week, meaning that I only really had Sunday out of the whole week to do anything!

And then you've got the issue that certain connections are fairly time critical. I knew for example that if I missed the 8:04 train, I'd have to wait 35 minutes for another one, and that I wouldn't make it to work on time. I usually had 15 minutes to spare between getting off the bus and boarding the train, but it's amazing how quickly that spare time can tick away when something goes wrong.

Most of the time this wasn't an issue - my boss was a real gem, but it did mean that 9am meetings took on a new sense of dread, because it made me fret even more about getting there on time. There were times when my commute went so badly that it left me all wound up, and I was Mr Angry all morning because of it.