Commuting time to school

[southerncomfort]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Opinions please--how far is too far of a commute in medical school? I start in the fall and currently live about 45-60 minutes away. Finding housing in the city is very difficult and what is available is very expensive (like more than I pay in a mortgage). I'll find out about student housing in June, but have a feeling there will be quite a demand for it.
I'd feel fine about the drive if it was just a job, but am worried that I may be hurting myself for school. Anyone else making the drive in everyday?

 

[SoCuteMD]

15-20 mins in the beginning of the year - max.

 

[Ambs]

45-60 minutes may be too much

 

[fun8stuff]

it takes me on average 30-40 mins. however, i generally do not attend class because it is available online as streaming video. ideally, i would live within walking distance of school, but i think 10-15 mins would be fine. 30-40 mins is bordering on too damn long.

 

[Emergency!]

I drive 45 minutes one way. Total time door to door is about an hour, by the time I park and walk to class. The time issue can be doable - you learn to prioritize. The cost of gas really sucks, though. I've figured that each trip to campus is now costing me around $10.

I wouldn't mind the commute time at all if I could study (i.e. bus or train), but it can be a bit wearing when you have to drive and the commute is "lost time", in essence. However, when I was going to campus every day, I used my commute time to listen to audio books, since I no longer seem to have time for pleasure reading. I also know people who use their commute to listen to audio recordings of lecture.

You have to do what you have to do. Many of us commute for family or financial reasons. However, have plans made for long study days and/or bad weather. Realize that commuting during third year rotations may also suck really badly if they are unable to place you in rotations close to where you live.

 

[pillowhead]

Opinions please--how far is too far of a commute in medical school? I start in the fall and currently live about 45-60 minutes away. Finding housing in the city is very difficult and what is available is very expensive (like more than I pay in a mortgage). I'll find out about student housing in June, but have a feeling there will be quite a demand for it.
I'd feel fine about the drive if it was just a job, but am worried that I may be hurting myself for school. Anyone else making the drive in everyday?

I'd say it's doable for the first two years when you can skip class some days and not even go in. However, for third year, I'd suck it up and pay to live closer. When you're driving home post-call or having to get there by 4:30am on surgery, you are going to be in pain doing that kind of drive on a regular basis. It will seriously hurt (and it will seriously hurt your wallet as you alluded to already.)

 

[angel80]

I had a 30-40 minute commute for all of med school. During 1st and 2nd year, I skipped a lot of lectures. In 3rd and 4th years, many of the hospitals I went to for rotations were about a 20 minute commute, but some were 30-40 minutes away.

 

[sga814]

Take the train- work on Netter's flashcards along the way-- or listen to previous lectures on a recorder/mp3 player

 

[Zummy]

During 1st and 2nd years I had a 45-50 minute (each way) commute which was a pain sometimes, but I did skip a lot of classes as well. I only went about 3 days week- 4 at most. We were given the notes for every class, so that wasn't an issue. Did fine in my courses.

Recommend it? No. But it's doable, especially if you're disciplined to manage your time wisely.

Ditto the recommendation about listening to audio lectures during the drive. Maybe a friend could record the lectures for you? I didn't use this strategy 1st year, but 2nd year, I listened to Goljian's review for Step 1 during my drive. Not as nice as music, but definitely worth it!!