commute or move?

[PTstudent11]

I could commute to my PT school next year to save money, but the total commute time would be about 1 hr 15 min into the city and then about 25 min out to my school from there, for a total of about 1 hr and 40 min one way. The only benefit of this commute would be saving money since downtown living will cost me at least $12,000 a year.

OR I could move down to the city where the cost of living is really high. However, I could a) get more sleep, b) spend more time with my classmates c) not lose my sanity from living with my parents.

I had always planned on commuting to save $$, but I am starting to wonder if my education and bonds with my classmates will really suffer as a result. As fall gets closer, I am really leaning towards moving downtown.

Just looking for some insight from you guys. Has anyone had experience with a commute like this? In my mind, it'd be a pretty rough commute since I'd have to wake up at probably 5:30am just to get to an 8 am class... But I also wonder if sucking it up for 3 years would ultimately be worth the money i'd save in commuting...

Thoughts?

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[CrystalMt]

In my mind, it'd be a pretty rough commute since I'd have to wake up at probably 5:30am just to get to an 8 am class... But I also wonder if sucking it up for 3 years would ultimately be worth the money i'd save in commuting...

Thoughts?

...So im not alone...that is EXACTLY my problem! If you don't mind, what school are you talking about?

 

[Danae00]

.

 

[PTstudent11]

...So im not alone...that is EXACTLY my problem! If you don't mind, what school are you talking about?

UIC in chicago. You?

Danae-- I'd be taking a train. So the train pass is roughly $250 a month and the transportation once I get downtown is free. So no car for me!

 

[Nck03]

well, since you're not driving, you can always use that transport time to study, so thats not all bad

 

[kcgregor]

What if you just moved closer to school but not necessarily in downtown... perhaps to a suburb near by? The commute would be shorter, rent wouldn't be nearly as high as if you lived in downtown (perhaps you could find someone in your program to share an apartment with), and you don't have to worry about losing your sanity because of your parents.

 

[DancerFutureDPT]

I'm in the exact same position....gotta love Metra!

(What suburb are you in, btw? Or rather, what Metra line would you be taking? I'm on the Pacific West Line.) I'd be looking at about 1:15 to get into Ogilvie as well, and then 15 minutes to NU.

I'm definitely looking for apartments, but it's going to be pricey. I'm waiting until I see what kind of financial aid I get, to make sure it'll help cover cost of living.

The nice thing for us though is that we have time to decide...you can always try living at home for a month or so, and if it's too unbearable you can try to find a place - in Chicago people are moving in and out all the time, so you should be able to find something. It'd just be harder to try to live with a PT roommate if that's the case, but if you don't mind finding a random roommate or living by yourself, then that's definitely doable.

Have you thought about not living immediately downtown? My friend who is a first year PT student at UIC lives in Oak Park (a close suburb), as well as another friend of mine who is a UIC senior (undergrad). I'm also looking in Evanston since there's shuttle routes, CTA lines, and other ways of getting downtown that would only take 20-30 minutes, instead of close to two hours.

I too would be concerned about bonding with classmates and stuff if I'm living at home - it'd be hard for me to get motivated to travel an hour and a half into the city to go out on a Saturday night for drinks, or to meet for a study group, etc. Although the train commute would allow me to get a lot done, which would be good because I'm extremely unproductive at home. I talked with a new PT at work who graduated from Northwestern and lived in Naperville/commuted her whole time at school, and she said she does not recommend doing it.

I also really want to live downtown at least once in my life, so this may be the time to do it. I think I'm going to "splurge" and find a really nice place downtown for this year, since I'll be in school the whole time, and then my second and third year try to cut back since I'll be doing clinicals and such anyway, so I would need to find a subletter if I am in an apartment. That's another option for you to think about.

I'm going downtown tomorrow to look at places with my potential roommate for next year....they don't know availability of apartments yet for the summer move in dates, but I figured it can't hurt to look and see what's available so I have an idea of the kinds of places we can get and what we have to spend to get them.

Good luck!

P.S. Don't forget living at home may also mean you don't have to pay for groceries, which if you eat like I do, they will run you at least $100/week.

 

[Phatmomma]

I could commute to my PT school next year to save money, but the total commute time would be about 1 hr 15 min into the city and then about 25 min out to my school from there, for a total of about 1 hr and 40 min one way. The only benefit of this commute would be saving money since downtown living will cost me at least $12,000 a year.

OR I could move down to the city where the cost of living is really high. However, I could a) get more sleep, b) spend more time with my classmates c) not lose my sanity from living with my parents.

I had always planned on commuting to save $$, but I am starting to wonder if my education and bonds with my classmates will really suffer as a result. As fall gets closer, I am really leaning towards moving downtown.

Just looking for some insight from you guys. Has anyone had experience with a commute like this? In my mind, it'd be a pretty rough commute since I'd have to wake up at probably 5:30am just to get to an 8 am class... But I also wonder if sucking it up for 3 years would ultimately be worth the money i'd save in commuting...

Thoughts?

You could definitely get a lot done on the Metra if that is the type of environment you can get work done in and you are awake enough to do it then. People I have known that have made that type of commute for work or school had the intention of using the time wisely, but instead would sleep or zone out.

If you can't get work done, then you are losing over 3 hours of your life in commute time a day.

I have to say, I applaud those who are disciplined enough to save money and live with their parents. My parents would drive me crazy. But more importantly, I am all about enjoying your youth. Living in Chicago is so much fun and even more fun when you are young. I figure you have your whole life to be fiscally responsible. So enjoy your youth while you can. Besides, I'm assuming by choosing to go to a public institution over a private institution, you are already saving a lot of $. So have a little fun.

 

[Lizarde]

The only benefit of this commute would be saving money since downtown living will cost me at least $12,000 a year.
Thoughts?

Why live downtown? Live at the end of the blue line - Forest Park/Oak Park. It's been a few years, but I lived off the Damen stop (N.branch of Blue Line) with a roommate for $950/month for a 2 bedroom. So I'm sure you could find something closer to the $600-800/mo. range if you consider non-downtown neighborhoods. Or to stay closer to downtown, try going slightly south on the red line - Harrison/State area near Columbia College.

 

[mac_kin]

I moved downtown to a big city. There were a couple people who commute, from much further than I would be. I would have had a 1hr45min commute one way. I spent way more than $800/month on rent but in my mind it was worth it because A) I lived home for undergrad and wanted the experience B) there's no way i could live sanely with my parents.

I feel I made the right decision because I experienced big city life and all its benefits and made many good friendships. But, 1 of the 2 people commuting was actually the top ranked student in our class. She was slightly older than us, and I would say more organized and disciplined. So yes, it is possible to commute and get excellent marks. And she crashed people's places downtown on weekends when we went out, so she didn't really miss out on all the fun.

So it comes down to what you want out of your experience and I guess where you are in your life. If you are 150% focused on getting the degree and have your own personal/social life back home, then there's no point for you to spend the money to move downtown away from your family/friends just to be closer to school.

If however you are looking for more of a life experience from this...educational/social, then maybe consider moving downtown. Like someone said, you don't have to be in the heart of the city, you could be on the outskirts, and maybe you can room with a housemate! That would save on costs and allow you someone to study with.

Last point: PT school is 90% about studying on your own time and practicing skills with classmates. I lived pretty much across the street from school, and on weeks around test time, I would be there 3-4 extra hours each day just to practice skills with classmates. You can manage to study at home with other people if you choose to commute, but just recognize that around test time you will be staying at school late to practice, no matter where you are coming in from.

 

[Phatmomma]

Why live downtown? Live at the end of the blue line - Forest Park/Oak Park. It's been a few years, but I lived off the Damen stop (N.branch of Blue Line) with a roommate for $950/month for a 2 bedroom. So I'm sure you could find something closer to the $600-800/mo. range if you consider non-downtown neighborhoods. Or to stay closer to downtown, try going slightly south on the red line - Harrison/State area near Columbia College.

If you are looking into costs of city living, I would suggest finding roommates and look for a place around UIC in Little Italy, West Loop, Pilsen, South Loop or Bridgeport. You can definitely find some reasonably priced apartments in those neighborhoods (Pilsen and the Tri-Taylor area probably have the best bargains that are close to school) and all are in biking distance or near the CTA. You get the UPass anyway, so you have unlimited use while school is in session. That way you'll save the $250 a month you would've spent for the Metra pass.