Commuting to medical school?

[Katzap88]

Hi everyone!

I've seen a few posts about this, but I just wanted some advice.

I've been dating my SO for around 2 years, and I just got into medical school an hour away from where he goes to grad school. We are thinking of living in the middle (would be a 30-40 minute commute for me). I was wondering how feasible this would be as a first year medical student? Or would it be better to get an apartment on my own close to school?

I'm worried that I will regret spending that extra hour a day driving, and that it will negatively impact my social life in med school. Any replies are appreciated, thanks!

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[aldol16]

It shouldn't be a big deal. You have plenty of time during your pre-clinical years as long as you're willing to make the commute. It also depends on where your school is and if there's parking nearby. Otherwise that half-hour commute could easily turn into an hour-long commute each way.

Once you reach your clinical years, it'll depend on how far you live from the hospitals you rotate at. If you're an hour away from your surgery rotation, that'll be super difficult.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

This is really personal. Does your school have required attendance, or can you chill at home most days and stream lectures? That's honestly probably the biggest factor-- having to commute 40 minutes twice every day is different than twice a week.

 

[Katzap88]

This is really personal. Does your school have required attendance, or can you chill at home most days and stream lectures? That's honestly probably the biggest factor-- having to commute 40 minutes twice every day is different than twice a week.

It is required attendance but you're allowed to miss 20% of classes. The school is pretty small so parking lot --> class would probably be 5 min.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

It is required attendance but you're allowed to miss 20% of classes. The school is pretty small so parking lot --> class would probably be 5 min.

That's a lengthy commute to make every day of the week, but it's honestly up to you. It means you're going to be spending anywhere from 60-120 minutes a day driving, and when you have a packed schedule in med school, that can be a lot of time. But, if you're unhappy living away from your SO, it'll negatively impact you in school too. I don't think anyone can explicitly tell you what to do in this situation.

 

[anon6134]

People in my class lived 2 mins-1 hour away. Probably would never suggest an hour, but 20-30 mins is reasonable. You'll have to make the time up somewhere whether it's getting up earlier, SO cooking dinner while you study, etc

 

[mrbreakfast]

It's possible/doable for preclinicals, but keep in mind living this far away during clinical rotations may be difficult.

 

[Cheyenne62]

I commuted 40min-1hr each way every day for the first 3 years. While I missed out on some social events with my class, it was worth it to be living with my significant other. Find some classmate friends who will let you crash occasionally on their couch/blow-up mattress. As for the drive, you can be productive by listening to pathoma audio for pre-clinical and onlinemeded for clinical. I never could sit watching videos at home so this worked out for me.

 

[Katzap88]

Thank you everyone for the advice, I appreciate it!

 

[DK0828]

Curious, with Tesla’s autopilot, does it allow you to chill on the commute? Or do you still have to “drive?”

 

[21Rush12]

Curious, with Tesla’s autopilot, does it allow you to chill on the commute? Or do you still have to “drive?”

We are Med students how in the world would we know?

 

[DK0828]

We are Med students how in the world would we know?

Haha well I see your point but you’re not considering the physician parents

 

[Lucky Day]

I have a 45 minute commute to class. A classmate has the same and two babies. I don't go to class, he does. It is doable but your reason has to make you not doubt it.

 

[Jaxey]

When I started I had 1 hour commute. I did it for 2 months until I gave up and got a room by the school. It's doable, but it's very, VERY rough. I was so much more tired when I drove one hour each way.

 

[HarryPotterLostInNarnia]

Totally possible

 

[ortnakas]

30 minutes is doable, if you use your time wisely. Plenty of my classmates lived 30ish minutes away so their SO/spouse could commute the 30 minutes the other way into the bigger city.

That said, if this is a place where in snow/ice/inclement weather 30 minutes turns into 60-90, it can be pretty rough.

Edit to add: using your time wisely varies by person. For some that was listening to lectures (like Goljan) in the car. For others that was using that time to relax, but realizing that meant 30 minutes less relaxation at home. What’s right for you won’t necessarily be what works for somebody else.