Commuting

[MTD52]

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I'm sure you guys have more valuable thoughts on this than pre-dents, so I'm gonna ask here. I will most likely go to UMDNJ, and the commute for me without too much traffic will be 25-30minutes. However, when there is traffic, I could probably approach 45-60minutes, and I don't know how often I will experience that. It would probably save me about 40-50k in loan money over the course of 4 years. The big downside that I see is less interaction with classmates in general, less time studying together, etc etc. They said explicitly at the interview not to commute over 30 minutes, but like I said, you guys have the most relevant opinion. What do you think?

 

[ukbasketballis1]

I'm not a dental student at UMDNJ, but what I learned from my girlfriend who was a grad student there and commuted from Belleville, was that there is ALWAYS traffic. Therefore, I would always count on traffic during your commute. I would suggest living in the UMDNJ housing or Society Hill as it is well worth the frustration you would be avoiding.

 

[Albuterol]

hey man, what roads are u taking? I'm 99% sure that I will be commuting next year to UMDNJ. I do it right now since I'm a grad student there and it's not too bad. I take 280 East in the morning there is always traffic by the GSP and TPKE exits but the left lane moves past both those and its not that bad. I get to school in 20min , 30tops. I'm not to worried about the social interaction with classmates, since being only 20-30min out its not too far away where if something is going down at night (party/study group/whatever) that I can't make it. Like you I'm trying to save as much money as possible. Finally, I had a friend who's a 4th yr student right and she commuted her 2nd year (the hell year) and had no problems in studying, etc.

 

[MTD52]

hey man, what roads are u taking? I'm 99% sure that I will be commuting next year to UMDNJ. I do it right now since I'm a grad student there and it's not too bad. I take 280 East in the morning there is always traffic by the GSP and TPKE exits but the left lane moves past both those and its not that bad. I get to school in 20min , 30tops. I'm not to worried about the social interaction with classmates, since being only 20-30min out its not too far away where if something is going down at night (party/study group/whatever) that I can't make it. Like you I'm trying to save as much money as possible. Finally, I had a friend who's a 4th yr student right and she commuted her 2nd year (the hell year) and had no problems in studying, etc.

Oh well that's great news about commuting 2nd year with no problems. That makes me feel much better actually, although I have no clue what your friends work ethic is? Where did she commute from (and how far)?

I take 17 South to 3 West to 21 South to get there. I can actually get to 21 from a different way if need be, but that's pretty much what I'd be doing on a daily basis. I could also take 3W to the Turnpike to 280W, but I think I remember that being longer (I actually commuted to NJIT for a semester a while back).

Where are you coming from?

 

[MTD52]

Anyone else got an opinion on this?

 

[rooney09]

I commute to UTHSC Houston everyday, takes me 30-40 mins drive. Yeah ur saving alot of money from not having to pay rent and food and stuff and at the same time you are loosing maybe 1-2 hours from your day.

Weigh up the pros and cons and see what suits you. If I were you, I'd commute the first semester for sure and see how it goes. The first semester isn't too bad and you can easily do it I don't know why they told you not to commute over 30 mins. I've been commuting first semester with no problems and I will probably keep on doing it second semester. 2nd year however I'm planning on getting housing.

 

[MTD52]

I commute to UTHSC Houston everyday, takes me 30-40 mins drive. Yeah ur saving alot of money from not having to pay rent and food and stuff and at the same time you are loosing maybe 1-2 hours from your day.

Weigh up the pros and cons and see what suits you. If I were you, I'd commute the first semester for sure and see how it goes. The first semester isn't too bad and you can easily do it I don't know why they told you not to commute over 30 mins. I've been commuting first semester with no problems and I will probably keep on doing it second semester. 2nd year however I'm planning on getting housing.

That's not a bad plan. Only downside to that is that I don't know if the housing will be guaranteed at that time, and I would probably want a roommate, which also would likely not be an easy thing to do (if at all). I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world to live alone though.

 

[scottyhoop]

I commute about 45 mins to school (with no traffic) and it hasn't been a problem for me. Since my wife and kids have regular obligations in the evening thruout the week, I stay with classmates or friends instead of driving home (since I won't get to see the family even if i drove home anyways). That cuts down on my driving and allows me to focus on school work so I have more time to spend with them when I am home. So far it's been working great. I don't get to go out with my classmates as much as I would if I lived right in town, but I still get out and don't feel isolated from them socially. Would I like to live closer? Sure...but you gotta do what you gotta do! Good luck!!

Scotty

 

[og2]

if you're able to afford it and/or if you're willing to take out more loans, i would totally recommend living closer to school. i commuted my first year (i go to maryland) from about 15-20 minutes out, but i don't think it's worth the $ you save in exchange for the uncertainty of traffic/accidents/construction/whatever. there were more than a handful of occasions when i walked into tests late bc of ridiculous accidents that increased my travel time by more than reasonable amounts. sometimes, although rarely, it would take my over an hour to travel what is an otherwise 15 minute commute. starting my 2nd year (i'm currently a 4th year) i moved into the city and i could not be happier with my choice. saving money is of course a wonderful thing, but dental school is demanding, especially if you want to do well, and for me it was worth it to fork over more $$ rather than give myself the unnecessary added stress that comes with commuting.

good luck with your decision!

 

[MTD52]

Thanks scotty and og2. Clearly different opinions. My thoughts, personally, are that I really don't want to lose out on the camaraderie, social experience, and studying with others during my time. I commute to undergrad and I do like it, but I also liked living at school. Both have ups and downs, but I know I would enjoy living at dental school. Money is a big concern for me though. I totally ruled out NYU largely because of that, even though I think I may have chosen UMDNJ anyway. Point being, if I don't live at school, I could probably save $40,000+, and now that I've been accepted, I'm starting to see how much debt I'm really incurring. Tuition there is $26,000, which I thought was pretty good considering the other places, but then I realized that there are a bunch of other "fees" that, according to their website, are putting the total cost at more like $38,000, not including housing/living expenses. So my thought process went from ~$100,000 in loan money to more like ~$150,000, and now I'm starting to worry about paying it back. So living there is becoming less appealing 🙁

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

I commute to UTHSC Houston everyday, takes me 30-40 mins drive. Yeah ur saving alot of money from not having to pay rent and food and stuff and at the same time you are loosing maybe 1-2 hours from your day.

Weigh up the pros and cons and see what suits you. If I were you, I'd commute the first semester for sure and see how it goes. The first semester isn't too bad and you can easily do it I don't know why they told you not to commute over 30 mins. I've been commuting first semester with no problems and I will probably keep on doing it second semester. 2nd year however I'm planning on getting housing.

I, too, go to UTDB in Houston. I am in a similar situation 30 to 50 mintues depending on traffic. Yes, you loose time studying, but if you don't like city life the commute is worth it because you can escape the city. I own a house in a very quiet neighborhood where I can get mind off reality of school when I need to. Plus, I am 4 houses away from a lake where I can go out and study in peace when I need to be outside. Each of us has our reasons for being near a school or wanting to be away. You need to look at why are you thinking of commuting and what things you like to do or want to do. what works for one doesn't work the other. Me, I had to live near the school for a year because my house was damaged in the hurricane last year. I am so glad to be back at my house and glad to have to do the commute. It is worth the time lost from studying. I just make up for it by not watching TV much.

 

[MTD52]

^ The reason why I am considering commuting is almost entirely a money issue. I do like being at home with family and girlfriend, but I also like living at school, and of course it has its upsides. That said, even if I lived there, I would be very close to home, so seeing people wouldn't be a big problem if I wanted/needed to come home for whatever reason. My town is nicer than Newark, but both are cities, so I don't have the same change you do in the scenery. Like I said, it would really just be to save money. I'm just trying to hear from people that are doing it whether or not you think it's okay to lose the commute time and still do well, as well as have the social experience.

Love your sig btw.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

^ The reason why I am considering commuting is almost entirely a money issue. I do like being at home with family and girlfriend, but I also like living at school, and of course it has its upsides. That said, even if I lived there, I would be very close to home, so seeing people wouldn't be a big problem if I wanted/needed to come home for whatever reason. My town is nicer than Newark, but both are cities, so I don't have the same change you do in the scenery. Like I said, it would really just be to save money. I'm just trying to hear from people that are doing it whether or not you think it's okay to lose the commute time and still do well, as well as have the social experience.

Love your sig btw.

Thanks. I posted that sig just after a close friend and classmate was murdered by her estranged husband 2+ years ago. Made me look at life differently.

If you want the social experience and do well, then you are better off not commuting. It can be done (social life, commutting and doing well), but it is much harder. I chose to not be as social and chose to spend the tme with my wife, pets and soon to be twins when I can and then spend the other time studying. That is more important to me. I do just fine in school even with the commuting.

 

[MTD52]

Thanks. I posted that sig just after a close friend and classmate was murdered by her estranged husband 2+ years ago. Made me look at life differently.

If you want the social experience and do well, then you are better off not commuting. It can be done (social life, commutting and doing well), but it is much harder. I chose to not be as social and chose to spend the tme with my wife, pets and soon to be twins when I can and then spend the other time studying. That is more important to me. I do just fine in school even with the commuting.

Sorry to hear about that, and thanks for the input. I guess I'll just have to weigh the options. As long as everyone thinks commuting is doable, it's something to consider.