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My question is: how far is too far to live away from campus during a PhD program?
I am attending one of my top choice PhD programs this fall and couldn't be happier. But, the area where the school is located is a semi-rural "college town" (very small town), and I am really more of a city person, in the sense that I love different ethnic foods, having indie movie theaters around, the diversity of cities, etc. There is a major city about 45 mins-1 hr away from campus that I LOVE (I've lived there in the past). My husband also might be working in this city if he gets a job there, which is the likely scenario at this point.
I see many pros and cons to choosing to live in the city rather than the small town. Believe it or not, because of a fluke in rent prices, the rent would basically be the same in either place. It would be a reverse commute so hopefully I could avoid some of the traffic, there is also public transportation (about 75 mins) so I could get reading done, etc, if I chose that route. I would get to spend the weekends and downtime in a place with lots to do.
However, I'm just not sure about being that far from campus. Will I miss out on social things that others do after class, etc, because I have to commute? Will I be on campus so late at night that a commute back feels unsafe/I'll be too tired to drive that far? How much time to 1st years/2nd year PhD students really spend on campus? Is everyone on campus every day or do people work from home a significant amount of time?
Any advice from those who have done commute like this before or anyone who has experience as a PhD student and want to chime in would be much appreciated! I'm starting to look for apartments now, as I hope to move in June... Thanks everyone!
I am attending one of my top choice PhD programs this fall and couldn't be happier. But, the area where the school is located is a semi-rural "college town" (very small town), and I am really more of a city person, in the sense that I love different ethnic foods, having indie movie theaters around, the diversity of cities, etc. There is a major city about 45 mins-1 hr away from campus that I LOVE (I've lived there in the past). My husband also might be working in this city if he gets a job there, which is the likely scenario at this point.
I see many pros and cons to choosing to live in the city rather than the small town. Believe it or not, because of a fluke in rent prices, the rent would basically be the same in either place. It would be a reverse commute so hopefully I could avoid some of the traffic, there is also public transportation (about 75 mins) so I could get reading done, etc, if I chose that route. I would get to spend the weekends and downtime in a place with lots to do.
However, I'm just not sure about being that far from campus. Will I miss out on social things that others do after class, etc, because I have to commute? Will I be on campus so late at night that a commute back feels unsafe/I'll be too tired to drive that far? How much time to 1st years/2nd year PhD students really spend on campus? Is everyone on campus every day or do people work from home a significant amount of time?
Any advice from those who have done commute like this before or anyone who has experience as a PhD student and want to chime in would be much appreciated! I'm starting to look for apartments now, as I hope to move in June... Thanks everyone!