Commuting to University for the next 4 years?

[succinate]

I'm already in my first semester of university for nursing, and it's located in another city that is 30-35 minutes away by bus. So far, I've been commuting to that university and it takes about 35 minutes. But when I come back home and if I don't have a ride to reach my house from the bus terminal in my hometown, I will have to take another bus which takes another 10-30 minutes to arrive (it depends).

I don't mind it so far...but after hearing so many stories about students moving to residence or to the city where the uni. is located after commuting in their first year, I really don't know if I should move too. When I tell other classmates that I commute from another city, they would be like, "oh my goodness! That's too much!!" Truth be told, I absolutely hate the city - it's absolutely dangerous and recently three people were murdered within a span of two months. It's not safe, especially for me as a hearing impaired student. THis is the reason why I am so determined to not move to the city, ever. A couple of days ago, my friend who lives in the city took me out for lunch in downtown and it was my first time. Needless to say, it was absolutely ugly. The houses looked ruined and the streets do not really look safe to me. I even did not feel safe myself. That's why I was clinging to my friend the whole time we were there. I cannot imagine living on my own in that city, but supposedly I attend a nursing school/university in a completely different city, I would not mind moving. Just not this city where my uni. is. There are houses that are specifically for students for the university, but I've heard horror stories about it. In addition to that, the rent of the room is ridiculously expensive in the city and I am trying to minimize the debt as much as I can. I know it's nearly impossible to be free of any debts, but I'm trying to keep it low. So transportation is much cheaper than living off-campus.

What I really don't like about my commute is the frequency of buses. If the buses come more frequently, I have no problem with it. I believe commuting is not a big issue, regardless of where you live, as long as you have good time management skills. Sometimes on the bus, I would read my notes/textbooks or study or just sleep. However, the only downside of commuting (so far) is its effect on my sleeping pattern. I have to wake up early around 6 or 6:30 a.m. and take bus at 8:05.

In my hometown, there are no nursing schools, so this uni. I attend is the closest to my home. If I didn't go into nursing, I would have attended another university in my hometown. But yeah.......the city is horrible.

What do you think?

P.S. I made a mistake in the poll. The title should say, "Shall I move?".

[Mrs.Angel]

I can't really say yes or no, because it depends if you can deal with the commute...if you can, why not? If it seems like too much for you then you should def move! I used to commute 1 hr to my university my freshman year and ended up back in my city where I had a University 5 mins away from my house (yes, what was I thinking?!)....BUT if you move and try to stay on campus as much as possible then you should feel at least a little more safe...campus security is usually very good; just try not to explore the city in the middle of the night =p

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

What city?

[i♥words]

I get the feeling that you are really concerned about this. :) There are several topics on commuting in this forum, so you might peruse those. I have commuted about an hour to school for the past couple of years. Yes, there are times when I'm fed up with it, but most of the time I don't mind. If it's cheaper and if you can handle it, then who cares what others say? I have heard so many people say "oh, you poor thing" when they hear I commute. Are you kidding me? The fact that I am even able to go to nursing school and that I have transportation is amazing. If you're able to get to all school events on time, then you should be fine commuting. Use the time to your advantage.

[Stephalump]

It really depends on you and how the commute is affecting you. I live in a big metro area, so commuting is a way of life for most people. I work in a different city and it takes me about 35-40 minutes to get there, but I don't even think of it as a different town because we're all one big happy family here :).

If you're feeling burnt out by going that distance, then I'd consider moving. If it's working out, then there's no problem.

[succinate]

I'd rather not disclose what city the nursing school is located.

[succinate]

It really depends on you and how the commute is affecting you. I live in a big metro area, so commuting is a way of life for most people. I work in a different city and it takes me about 35-40 minutes to get there, but I don't even think of it as a different town because we're all one big happy family here :).

If you're feeling burnt out by going that distance, then I'd consider moving. If it's working out, then there's no problem.

It sounds like I'm concerned about the commuting...because of what people told me what they thought of it when I tell them this fact! Honestly, the buses I use to commute are really good - so far, I don't have any issues with the transportation. Ironically, the highway that my bus uses to get to the school is never congested with traffic, so I'm happy with that. My sister is trying to encourage me to move to the city because she herself commuted to the same university (for a different program) in her first year and she absolutely detested it. So she moved but she hates the environment! Truth be told, I would rather study in the comforts of my house. I'm not the type of a student who parties, which most of my nursing classmates do. I could rent a room off campus but I've seen the quality and it's horror, thus the price does not really reflect the condition of the houses. I'm starting to feel burnt out, but I don't feel it's primarily because of commuting; I attribute it to lack of sleep. I'm only in the first semester and still learning how to manage my time so as a result, my sleeping pattern is screwed up. If my sleeping habits are straightened out, then I would be okay with the commute.

If I rent a room, it would be too expensive for me and I am trying to minimize the debt as much as possible.