The ‘University Experience’ as a commuting student

Most times when I tell people I commute, the question which gets asked is “don’t you miss out on the university experience and making friends or gaining your independence?”. Honestly, I always say not at all. Every single university student has a different experience which is based on your degree subject, your own preferences and whether you’re an outgoing person or prefer a smaller group of friends.

But as a commuter, I still attend society events, made friends with everyone on my degree course and have an amazing group of people which I surround myself with who are a mixture of commuters and students who live out. In essence, the university experience which you end up having is dependent on your own individual preferences.

Within first year, it is always a great idea to get involved with as many societies and other commitments as possible whilst trying to keep a balance with assignments and other university work. This way your first year is a great trial of what is best for your schedule, your likes, and dislikes but also how much you want to involve yourself in activities when second and third year comes about.

As a commuter, I still manage to be the co-president of AeroSoc and actually had a lot of fun organising events with the rest of the committee. What is so amazing about the University of Birmingham is there are a significant amount of commuters due to its own train station, so you’ll never feel alone and isolated in your experiences.

One of the main advantages of being a commuter is often the support I can get at home. During stressful times at university it is definitely a weight lifted knowing I can go home and destress. University can be a trying time, especially during exam season, and being able to have someone to talk to about work load and general things is really beneficial.

So my advice to anyone who is considering commuting to university is to ask themselves what you really want to get out of the university experience and the skills you want to gain. If you want to gain a significant amount of independence and branch out on your own, then living out would be great! But if you feel like you already have some of those skills and have other reasons whether its financially or it makes more logical sense to not live out, then commuting is also great option!

If you are still worried about making friends and joining societies as a commuter, many students live in student accommodation for first year and then commute for their second and third year.

Overall there are a multitude of options for students and there isn’t one set path for anyone.