Commuting: why it works for me

Caitlin Nagle provides an anecdote of her experience commuting from home to university for anyone who may be considering doing the same.

After staying on campus in the first year, I decided to commute from home in my next year of study. I stayed in East Park in my first year, and do not regret my decision to live on campus. There was nothing easier than getting out of bed ten minutes before an 8.30 lecture as well as being able to get home quickly after a long seminar.

I was shocked by how quickly everyone was looking at houses for the next year when it felt like the term had just started. My friends and I had tried our best to start looking early, but we were still unsuccessful. With people changing their mind about living together, things got very confusing and complicated. Within no time, most of the properties had gone. Our only options were to live in private halls with people who we did not know, or to commute. I ended up deciding that paying an extortionate price for a flat I would not be in for much (Why the unnecessarily long contract?) was not worth it and decided to commute instead.

I am lucky in that I am only a 40 min-ish drive from campus or a short train ride. I arrive on campus at 8.30 am three days a week, and honestly, I love commuting more than I thought I would before. It is nice to have the university experience whilst also seeing my friends, family and boyfriend at the end of the day. Even better, I am not paying the sky-high rent prices in Exeter on top of running my car, as I did last year. I can live at home but still go to Pret and the Forum library whenever! And if it couldn’t get better, I love that my boyfriend can also join me when he gets a day off work.

It is nice to have the university experience whilst also seeing my friends, family and boyfriend at the end of the day

My favourite part about commuting this year is that I get to make time for my family at home as well as the friends I have at university. The reasonably short commute is great because I can get to campus whenever I need to. I often heard about how some people hated commuting to university as they felt they missed out on the university experience; however, I find that I am enjoying my experience far more than I did in my first year.

So, to anyone considering commuting, I have found that it has made my experience this year so enjoyable.