UIWRSO - Commuting to optometry school?

[amore612]

Hi everyone,

I will be starting at UIWRSO in the fall, and am considering the pros and cons of living about 20 minutes away from the school (on small roads, highway is not necessary, so I'm hoping for less traffic), since purchasing a small house versus going for an apartment would be cost-effective over a 4-5 year period (planning to do residency in San Antonio, if possible).

Is this doable/feasible/wise for professional school? Classes start at 8 am, long days, intensive studying, and in 3rd and 4th year clinical rotations and externships will be something more to consider. I currently live in a small town and am not familiar with the commutes in larger cities such as SA.

What would you suggest? Any and all thoughts appreciated! Thank you!

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[evorage]

Hello, I currently live in San Antonio so I'm very familiar with the traffic. The traffic is usually pretty heavy on all roads from 7-9am and from 4-6 during the week. I would suggest looking for a place in the north or north west side. I would avoid west and south side due to higher crime rates and the commute will be much harder.

Are you opposed to getting on the highway? SA has a pretty solid highway system which is the fastest way to get around the city.

I live on the northwest side and I can get to the uiwrso area in about 10-15 minutes depending on traffic. With good planning and becoming familiar with SA you won't have any problems getting to school on time.

 

[amore612]

Hello, I currently live in San Antonio so I'm very familiar with the traffic. The traffic is usually pretty heavy on all roads from 7-9am and from 4-6 during the week. I would suggest looking for a place in the north or north west side. I would avoid west and south side due to higher crime rates and the commute will be much harder.

Are you opposed to getting on the highway? SA has a pretty solid highway system which is the fastest way to get around the city.

I live on the northwest side and I can get to the uiwrso area in about 10-15 minutes depending on traffic. With good planning and becoming familiar with SA you won't have any problems getting to school on time.

Thank you for the quick reply!

So in the north or northwest side, you would suggest closer to Loop 1604 and the junction of the loop and Bandera Rd, and the area just west of I-10, near De Zavala, Hausman Rd, and Prue Rd?

I am avoiding the south since it is close to the downtown area Is it also a good idea to avoid living on the east side of I-10?

I don't mind using the highway, I was just concerned that the traffic would be heaviest on I-10 from 7-9 am and 4-6 pm, although the highway would technically be the fastest way to get to UIWRSO because of the school's location. Do you get on the highway to get to school?

 

[evorage]

The bandera 1604 area is pretty nice and there are an abundant amount of stores, not to mention the best HEB (grocery store if you aren't familiar) in San Antonio. The de zavala area is also nice but there seems to always be a lot of traffic there. You will be closer living in the de zavala area.

You could live east of i10 but I know certain areas are probably out of the price range of an optometry student.

I10 is going to be the quickest way to get to the school in most cases. If you lived in the medical center area you would be very close to the school.

 

[KBK64]

Hopefully this isn't too late of a response since school is starting soon. My best advice is to live in the medical center. You're going to be exhausted waking up early for school and you will be staying late until 9pm some week nights for after hours lab. You won't want to drive more than 10-15 minutes. Plus, living close to the school has saved me a few times when I accidentally slept through my alarm and had to zip to school. If you don't want to live in an apartment, I had many classmates purchase townhomes and homes during school near the medical center or directly east on medical center, they were all gorgeous and paid a very reasonable amount.

 

[EZOnTheEyes]

I live off of 1604 in a house in the north west area and I like it a lot. I feel very safe which is a major deal for me. I leave earlier for school but I don't mind the commute. I did about an hour commute to my undergraduate school so my patience for a 20-30 minute commute may be misleading.

Also, this may be a more feasible option if you are attending school with your family-- a $900 mortgage instead of a $1500+ 4 bedroom house rental.

It is definitely true that there is little extra time in school and you may need all of the spare time that you can get, but I actually found that my drive was like a forced break between learning and studying. Therapeutic.

Anyway, sometimes I really wish we lived closer to school but I definitely dont mind a little separation between my school and personal life!