Commuting

[sayilohyee]

I have heard that commuting is NOT recommended during the first two years in a dental school due to the enormous amount of things to study....

But like many of you, i dont wanna spend extra money for housing and living expenses....

So my question is....Is it bad to commute during the first two years if it takes about an hour from my house to the school??

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[vlct0ria]

I have heard that commuting is NOT recommended during the first two years in a dental school due to the enormous amount of things to study....

But like many of you, i dont wanna spend extra money for housing and living expenses....

So my question is....Is it bad to commute during the first two years if it takes about an hour from my house to the school??

geeez an hour? even aside from the fact that its a pain because of how busy you're gonna be, thats a really long commute no matter what situation you're in...i wouldn't wanna do it!

 

[dRdNs]

an hour is wayy too long! are you including traffic in that time? or is that an estimated average? you have to put into account accidents, emergencies, fires(in cali at least), random sig alerts, road construction, etc. commuting also eats up gas (cheaper now, but you know it won't stay this low) and the wear and tear on your car. there's many different things to put into consideration. i commuted 40 miles one way for undergrad and each day i was putting myself at more and more risk leaving later and later by driving faster and faster. i almost had an accident everyday....i definitely do not recommend commuting further then 15-20 miles one way.

 

[TX2005]

I'm not in dental school, but as someone who has had an hour to hour in a half commute to and from work for two years, I don't recommend it.

I constantly think about all the time lost daily spending 2-3 hours in the car. If I take work home, I can't even get started until 7:30 or 8 at the earliest. I imagine those hours will be even more precious during school.

If anything, I'd recommend public transportation (train, bus, light rail etc..) if that is an option. I don't have that ability based on where I commute to, but if that is an option, you can probaly get some reading and studying on while on the bus opposed to being in car sitting in traffic being able to accomplish nothing.

Also, I'd say there are benefits to being close to school. If you are meeting with study groups or pulling a late night in the library or a lab, you are close to home. Living an hour away, you are not going to want to be at school late and then having to drive all those miles home. Plus, as someone says above, you definitely put yourself at risk for being late, especially if there is an accident or other unforeseen issue.

 

[Albuterol]

Thats 2 hours of study time wasted...

 

[DrReo]

At one of my interviews, there was a lady who communted 45 minutes the D1 and D2. Needless to say, she got a closer place D3. She doesn't recommend it. It's exhausting! You have too much to worry about as it is.

 

[DrDDSman]

Thats 2 hours of study time wasted...

or 2 hours of sleep wasted...

 

[DGDDS]

There is a girl in our class who commutes 1 hr each way, so it is possible. But she's moving as soon as her family can sell their house and move closer to the school because it is a big pain.

I know the saving housing is a tempting thought, but remember in 4 short years you're going to be making more than enough to pay it back in a reasonable amount of time. Think of it as "investing" in a place to live closer to campus so you can get some more sleep, save on gas (and wear on your car) and increase your study time. Plus you'll be close to your classmates so when you do have those rare, out of class experiences, you can perhaps enjoy your time in dental school

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

If you must do it, then it can be done. I know of multiple people who commute between 45 to 60 minutes each way each day here at Houston. One of them is married with a couple kids and is in the top 5 of the class. The others are doig well too. My point is that if you need to do it, it can be done. You just have to prioritize your time and make sacrifices elsewhere to accomodate for the time lost driving.

Personally, I commute between 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic and I do just fine, but I also have someone to commute with - my wife - with whom I can share driving responsibilities with.

If you don't have to do it, I wouldn't. By staying near the school, you may have to shell out more money on rent, but the amount of money wasted on the rent is made up in the amount of stress you save from commuting daily and extra time for studying.

 

[Jake8]

If you must commute then record your lectures and listen to them on the way home or put them on a disc and play it in your car. It won't be great study time but better than none.

 

[kag930]

Is there an option to take the train in? I'm considering doing this next year... what do you guys think? It would be about a 45 minute train ride. I would lose some valuable sleep, yes, but rent would be much cheaper.

 

[Albuterol]

or 2 hours of sleep wasted...

yes yes haha probably a lot more important

 

[DGDDS]

Train is a good option since you can study/decompress while on it. But you might be missing out on valuable evening study group times - if that's how you study. Try it out and if it's not working then move closer to school during fall break.

 

[Albuterol]

Is there an option to take the train in? I'm considering doing this next year... what do you guys think? It would be about a 45 minute train ride. I would lose some valuable sleep, yes, but rent would be much cheaper.

Hmm..the train idea doesn't sound that bad. I'm not a frequent rider but I can imagine that it could get really crowded during the peak hours. If you could find a seat you would be able to review some notes while commuting or take a nap.