This week, my good friend Mary asked me to write a blog about my personal experience as a student who commutes to Uni, which I thought would be a really good thing to write about as I don’t think you hear enough about this subject in the Uni process. Before I started Uni and embarked on my new chapter, I had so many people tell me I wasn’t going to have student life and that I was going to miss out. They even predicted I would have moved out by second year as I would have realised that I’d made a mistake. Let me tell you… this could not be further from the truth! It is TOTALLY possible to have an amazing student life, even living at home.
More people on my Primary Education course commute than live in Cheltenham where I study, and I, in fact, have more of a student life than a lot of people I know who live in! It used to really annoy me that people didn’t seem to consider that I was doing what was right for me and what made me happy! Before covid hit, I was staying over at multiple different friends’ accommodation- from my experience, a lot of students actually quite enjoy a different face in their house, so they enjoyed having me crash with them! This was particularly the case during freshers… everyone crashes anywhere when you’re “out out” almost every day! One thing I would suggest if you are a commuting student who wants to get in on the freshers fun is do what I did for a week… stay in a cheap hotel! My uni evidently like to go full force during freshers, as we have a “freshers fortnight”! I know that money doesn’t grow on trees, but I managed to find a very affordable and perfectly nice hotel within relatively short walking distance from my campus, and this really helped me make friends very quickly and easily. I used to do little things when I stayed like pay for the garlic bread we had with our dinner when I stayed over to say thank you! By the second week of freshers, I had already made lots of lovely friends, so I had plenty of people to stay with and have fun with and felt really settled in by this point.
Universities can actually be quite accommodating and understanding of situations like this. The maintenance loan I receive a few times a year has been really helpful in covering my petrol costs, along with a part time job that I am able to balance alongside my studies which I’ve had since I was 16, and I would encourage anyone who commutes to get one. My sixth form suggested that I didn’t bother as I wasn’t going to be living in Cheltenham, but just relying on my part time job to cover petrol, placement clothes, books, my parking permit, and of course, beer money, definitely would not have been possible!
In summary, it is YOUR choice entirely what you decide to do, and I would encourage anyone to make the decision that I have if they don’t feel ready to move out like I did. Remember that in the long run, you’re there to study! So when you’re actually at uni learning and training, it doesn’t even make a difference! Lots of people change their mind and move in after they’ve completed their first year, but lots of people also do the opposite and start commuting, and PLENTY of people prefer not to get in on the nightlife and you know what?? THAT’S OK! It’s all about doing what’s right for you.
---- Camryn Cuthill, Guest Blogger (External Student)
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