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Commuting to university: is it worth it? (1 Viewer)

sida1049

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Hey guys, so I can't seem to resolve this dilemma.

I live in a place which takes approximately an hour and a quarter commute to UNSW and USYD. The closest universities are Macquarie (45 - 60 minutes commute) and UWS (half an hour). I personally find my interests lie closest to the former universities over UWS (I don't have a particular course in mind yet... still contemplating this stuff over).

Therein lies my dillema. Is it worth taking the long commutes, especially to UNSW or USYD? I know there are many factors in this, such as the course I am aiming for. I think I'm most likely going to end up in commerce/economics, sciences or perhaps even engineering (which I originally dismissed but may reconsider). Yep. The three most popular. Not saying very much eh :p

If I were to commute back and forth, say for four days a week, that would compound to 8 - 10 hours of each week (which is probably the time I'll be spending in uni) idling in the public transport infrastructure. Over the course of a year, that's an incredible amount of time spent doing... well, nothing. As opposed to allocating the time for studying, going through notes, doing some revision questions, socialising, working, anything, that time would be instead inefficiently consumed by the monotony of commuting.

There are some upsides to commuting. The relaxation. Staring out windows. Music. Contemplation. But the thought of having 9 hours in the days of the week, which I could have used to do anything else, e.g. for leisure or studying, instead being confined in buses is quite discouraging.

While Macquarie seems to be the closest university I'm interested in, I'm fairly familiar with the area. This is one of the reasons why the other two universities seem more attractive; their unfamiliarity. Having new places available to me is a seductive thought. The expansion of spatial opportunities is one of the reasons why I'm looking forward to the university life :haha:

Anyway. What do you guys think? Are long commutes worth it? Do they really eat up into your time? Do you get any enjoyment out of them? Do you regret going to a university which requires you to partake in these regular commutes?

Thank you!
 

Queenroot

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Hey guys, so I can't seem to resolve this dilemma.

I live in a place which takes approximately an hour and a quarter commute to UNSW and USYD. The closest universities are Macquarie (45 - 60 minutes commute) and UWS (half an hour). I personally find my interests lie closest to the former universities over UWS (I don't have a particular course in mind yet... still contemplating this stuff over).

Therein lies my dillema. Is it worth taking the long commutes, especially to UNSW or USYD? I know there are many factors in this, such as the course I am aiming for. I think I'm most likely going to end up in commerce/economics, sciences or perhaps even engineering (which I originally dismissed but may reconsider). Yep. The three most popular. Not saying very much eh :p

If I were to commute back and forth, say for four days a week, that would compound to 8 - 10 hours of each week (which is probably the time I'll be spending in uni) idling in the public transport infrastructure. Over the course of a year, that's an incredible amount of time spent doing... well, nothing. As opposed to allocating the time for studying, going through notes, doing some revision questions, socialising, working, anything, that time would be instead inefficiently consumed by the monotony of commuting.

There are some upsides to commuting. The relaxation. Staring out windows. Music. Contemplation. But the thought of having 9 hours in the days of the week, which I could have used to do anything else, e.g. for leisure or studying, instead being confined in buses is quite discouraging.

While Macquarie seems to be the closest university I'm interested in, I'm fairly familiar with the area. This is one of the reasons why the other two universities seem more attractive; their unfamiliarity. Having new places available to me is a seductive thought. The expansion of spatial opportunities is one of the reasons why I'm looking forward to the university life :haha:

Anyway. What do you guys think? Are long commutes worth it? Do they really eat up into your time? Do you get any enjoyment out of them? Do you regret going to a university which requires you to partake in these regular commutes?

Thank you!
Yeah good luck in the peak hour body rubbing festival on trains from 7-8:30am.

Anyway, that type of commute time is pretty much normal for (most) people who go to UNSW/USYD
 
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Trebla

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Anyway, that type of commute time is pretty much normal for (most) people who go to UNSW/USYD
This. 1.25 hours is not that long. There are plenty of students who take around 2 hours each way to get to uni.

Also, you could also study on public transport if you really feel you have to be productive. I personally would use that time to catch up on sleep if possible.

Alternatively, if it really bothers you then consider living near campus.
 

enoilgam

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If you can do the same course close to home and that course isnt law, choose the closer uni I think.
 

Shadowdude

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I sleep on the train, or read my texts for English or catch the train with friends and use it as catch-up story time

sometimes I do other work


Use your time the way you want. If you want to just sleep on the train, do it. If you feel you're not being productive, then study on the train/bus/whatever
 

enigma_1

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Tbh I get most of my revision done on the train. I go to uws and there's usually not many ppl on the train anyway so it's nice and quiet. And for some reason it's easier to study on the train than at home idk why, maybe it's just me.
Then some days you can use it to just chill etc. So time isn't rlly wasted.

So yeah it's worth taking the long commutes to unsw/usyd if you want.
 

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