Does anyone commute to grad. school? How feasible?

[glasscandie]

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I'm looking at the Virginia Commonwealth University at their behavioral pharmacology program, and I'm really excited about it. More than 4 researchers there do the type of research I'm interested in, and I have extensive lab. experience doing the types of studies they do (discrimination, novel object, etc.).

However, right now I live in Maryland, between DC and Baltimore. If I were to stay in the DC/MD/VA area for school, my husband would be getting a job in DC or at the NSA in Maryland. Conversely, if I ended up getting accepted elsewhere (Emory, for example) we'd be moving there.

I was looking at Fredericksburg, VA to move to if I got accepted at VCU. It's about an hour away from VCU, and an hour and a 1/2 away from the DC/MD area my husband would work in. There's really no jobs for him in VA, except maybe the FBI, but his skill set is very specialized, which is why he'd end up staying in DC.

Is it feasible to make that type of commute daily to grad. school? Any experience here?

 

[FranklinR]

I'm looking at the Virginia Commonwealth University at their behavioral pharmacology program, and I'm really excited about it. More than 4 researchers there do the type of research I'm interested in, and I have extensive lab. experience doing the types of studies they do (discrimination, novel object, etc.).

However, right now I live in Maryland, between DC and Baltimore. If I were to stay in the DC/MD/VA area for school, my husband would be getting a job in DC or at the NSA in Maryland. Conversely, if I ended up getting accepted elsewhere (Emory, for example) we'd be moving there.

I was looking at Fredericksburg, VA to move to if I got accepted at VCU. It's about an hour away from VCU, and an hour and a 1/2 away from the DC/MD area my husband would work in. There's really no jobs for him in VA, except maybe the FBI, but his skill set is very specialized, which is why he'd end up staying in DC.

Is it feasible to make that type of commute daily to grad. school? Any experience here?

I have a hefty daily commute, and can only say that it's a plus and a minus. The plus is that I end up going early and staying late, so I get more done when I go in. The minus is the time lost (not insignificant) and it's harder to just dash in for a last minute lab meeting or to pick something up.

A *lot* of the time I spend on graduate school gets eaten by the commute in one way or another. And commute time is negatively correlated with overall happiness.

I would much, much rather live within a short commute (a walk?) of school, but I just can't afford it.

 

[sugarhi385]

Well, this is a somewhat different situation from mine, but for the past year and a half I've been commuting 1 hour each way to work. The cost of gas and the irritation resulting from the time I spend in the car/traffic each day can be a bit much, and I admit I'll be glad to not have such a long commute once I start grad school. A lot of your time each day would be spent in the car, which takes away from the time you would be spending on grad school work, and it would probably be easiest when you to travel to campus to spend the majority of the day there. I personally would not want to go through it, but if the situation is better for your husband and you can deal with the tiring commute for 3 or so years, you should go for it.

 

[psychmama]

I've been commuting 60-80 minutes each way for 5 yrs now. It's getting old, but is doable. I'd agree with most of what Franklin said about it. I'd rather be closer, but moving was not an option. On the plus side, when I'm away from school (especially weekends) I really feel like I've gotten away. 🙂

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

IT may be do-able, but expect LONG days.

As a former B'more to DC commuter, the devil is in the details. Depending on where you live in regard to DC/The Loop, will really dictate the commute. I'm not sure if your "hour" takes into account the traffic or just distance, as even commuting against DC traffic is a pain. Also, the type of traffic is important...as stop and go can be a grind.

 

[researchgirl]

I can't speak to whether or not, as a grad student, this is "doable", but I would imagine so.

As someone who lives in that general vicinity, though, I'd say Fredericksburg to Richmond is pretty easy - not much traffic on your commute. Your husband will have very, very bad traffic, and most likely will need to take the VRE every day and have a metro-accessible job.

 

[glasscandie]

I can't speak to whether or not, as a grad student, this is "doable", but I would imagine so.

As someone who lives in that general vicinity, though, I'd say Fredericksburg to Richmond is pretty easy - not much traffic on your commute. Your husband will have very, very bad traffic, and most likely will need to take the VRE every day and have a metro-accessible job.

Thanks to everyone for the replies! What I quoted was what I was afraid of. Mapquest says about 90 minutes from Fredericksburg to DC, but I don't think that takes into account traffic. Isn't there a metro or something that goes from VA to DC? I know a lot of people who commute from Alexandria to DC and it's not so bad, but that's much closer, I think.

Maybe I'll get into George Mason and it'll be a non-issue. Fairfax isn't that far at all, I don't think...or even better, get into a school in Baltimore or DC and cut the commute altogether lol

 

[psybee]

Thanks to everyone for the replies! What I quoted was what I was afraid of. Mapquest says about 90 minutes from Fredericksburg to DC, but I don't think that takes into account traffic. Isn't there a metro or something that goes from VA to DC? I know a lot of people who commute from Alexandria to DC and it's not so bad, but that's much closer, I think.

Maybe I'll get into George Mason and it'll be a non-issue. Fairfax isn't that far at all, I don't think...or even better, get into a school in Baltimore or DC and cut the commute altogether lol

i do a 2hr commute each way, 5 days a week, and i have classmates who do similar (one even longer). it's a personal choice, and it is tough, but that has been doable for me. my 3rd year i will work will all my might to get a clinical spot in my part of town, and that will help a lot, and if i had wanted to i likely could have done that for next year as well, but i am a dork and really wanted to opportunities a different position offered, one that is located at my far-way campus.

 

[Psych1212]

Some good responses here....🙂


My concern with a long commute always involved the time I spend with my significant other. I don't see it taking time away from my work, as graduate school work simply has to get done. I was always more worried about a long commute to school taking an extra 90 minutes per day that I could otherwise be spending with my significant other in the evenings. Right now we are evaluating our options. Hopefully she can land a good job in the area and it will all come together nicely. But I know if I have a long commute, I'll be kicking myself during those times when I'm working through the evenings at home...

 

[psychmama]

Some good responses here....🙂


My concern with a long commute always involved the time I spend with my significant other. I don't see it taking time away from my work, as graduate school work simply has to get done. I was always more worried about a long commute to school taking an extra 90 minutes per day that I could otherwise be spending with my significant other in the evenings. Right now we are evaluating our options. Hopefully she can land a good job in the area and it will all come together nicely. But I know if I have a long commute, I'll be kicking myself during those times when I'm working through the evenings at home...

Indeed, the commute can be a drain on personal time and relationships with those we love. I wish my commute were shorter. I did manage to find some externships that were closer to home, which helped a bit. Also, I have a rule that I almost never use the weekends to do school work. That way I can at least be plugged into my husband and three kids for 2 days out of the week. It's not ideal, but I try to make it as tolerable as possible.

Hope it all works out for you and the SO.🙂

 

[Psych1212]

Indeed, the commute can be a drain on personal time and relationships with those we love. I wish my commute were shorter. I did manage to find some externships that were closer to home, which helped a bit. Also, I have a rule that I almost never use the weekends to do school work. That way I can at least be plugged into my husband and three kids for 2 days out of the week. It's not ideal, but I try to make it as tolerable as possible.

Hope it all works out for you and the SO.🙂

I feel for you. Having a significant other at home to have fun with is enough of a distraction for me. I can't imagine having one, two, or three children on top of that. That's waaaay to much fun (and/or grief) 🙂

 

[Olivia101884]

Some good responses here....🙂


My concern with a long commute always involved the time I spend with my significant other. I don't see it taking time away from my work, as graduate school work simply has to get done. I was always more worried about a long commute to school taking an extra 90 minutes per day that I could otherwise be spending with my significant other in the evenings. Right now we are evaluating our options. Hopefully she can land a good job in the area and it will all come together nicely. But I know if I have a long commute, I'll be kicking myself during those times when I'm working through the evenings at home...

My significant other does the reverse commute to CT (We live in NYC) 1-2 days a week (1 hr+ each way). When he does this, he is usually home by 8:30-9ish. Since he works really late most nights, the other 3-4 days he actually stays in CT (he has a "crash pad" there). He lives in the city with me on weekends. It is not ideal, but we're both very used to it. A few years before, he had been an investment banker (100+ hr weeks, 7-days a week), so maybe in comparison to that, what we're doing now is nothing 😉 In all seriousness, I think it is totally doable and it makes both of us really value and appreciate the time we do have together. Best of luck! 🙂

 

[psychmama]

I feel for you. Having a significant other at home to have fun with is enough of a distraction for me. I can't imagine having one, two, or three children on top of that. That's waaaay to much fun (and/or grief) 🙂

Thanks! It's not easy but I think it's been worth it.🙄

 

[Prsstnt]

Thanks! It's not easy but I think it's been worth it.🙄

Very encouraging to hear that. I am looking at a 60-90 minute commute daily and have a spouse and kid at home to come back to, for re-energizing.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

One good thing to consider....

I do most of my phone calls in the car (bluetooth), and most of the other time I listen to satellite radio or my iPod. Some people also record their lectures....but some want a break from all of that.

 

[FranklinR]

One good thing to consider....

I do most of my phone calls in the car (bluetooth), and most of the other time I listen to satellite radio or my iPod. Some people also record their lectures....but some want a break from all of that.

Recorded lectures are great - and even if you can't record your own lectures, there are some good ones on iTunes, for free.

My commute is mostly by train, which is very handy for studying, unless the train is too crowded or smelly.

 

[psychmama]

One good thing to consider....

I do most of my phone calls in the car (bluetooth), and most of the other time I listen to satellite radio or my iPod. Some people also record their lectures....but some want a break from all of that.

Sometimes I listen to my recorded sessions. But really, who wants to listen to that after a full day of work?😴🙄😛😱

 

[Prsstnt]

Recording lectures was going to be my next question 🙂 Thanks!

Making calls is a great idea. I have some relaxation CDs I plan to use for the commute.

Is there any software that would read out PDFs or text files? I know MAC's textedit has the "Speech" feature. I am thinking about something that could be used on a Palm? Are recommended readings available on tape?

I get all dizzy just thinking about September. This is quite a rush!