How close to live from internship?

[annel]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey all,
I'm heading off to internship this summer and I have a dilemma I thought I'd throw out there. I'll be going off on internship solo, and my internship isn't in a particularly desireable/exciting area. About 35-45 mins from my internship is an area where I think I'd be much happier...more to do, social opportunities, less likely to run into clients, etc. I'm aware of the fact, though, that internship will be long hours, and a drive might be an added challenge, especially in winter.

So any tips about how close to internship to live? Quality of life vs. convenience? How far did you all live from your internship, and how did that work out for you?

 

[erg923]

About 4 miles. Highly recommend. You won't be going out much after work. On the weekends you can go to the big city for a night out. As long as you have acces to a gym, a resteraunt or two, and maybe a movie theatre, you'll be just fine.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I did just the opposite.

I lived ~35mi from my internship site bc I wanted to have walking access to culture/art/food. I generally worked 45hr-50-ish hr on-site and then spent an additional 4-6hr/wk on readings & related work at home. My commute was ~2hr round-trip each day, which was miserable in the wintertime. XM/Sirius radio helped a bit, but the actual driving really wore me out on top of a full wk of work. I actively avoided driving on the weekends/holidays/etc. I had to live in a tiny apartment and get by on a shoe-string budget bc of the extra cost of gas, despite making a pretty good salary (for internship). It was doable for a year, but it took some planning up front to make the most of my (limited) free time.

 

[OneNeuroDoctor]

My internship was not in a desirable community and I lived in a larger community 50 miles away. I put many miles on my car that year but I felt safer and more accepted in the community where I lived and my family was happier where we chose to live.

The other three interns lived in the community where the internship was located and they were miserable. They would leave on weekends and one of the spouses returned to their home community midway through the internship.

My normal weekly hours were in the 50 hour per week on site and report writing charting on weekends was an additional 5-10 hours.

I have Sirius radio and I car pooled part of the year with a practicum student.

Remember, it is just one year. Once you complete the year and graduate, the living options improve greatly. Rarely is the internship a fondly remembered year for most of us.

 

[HomeworkHelper]

I lived about a 10-minute commute from my internship in a "just fine" area. My apartment was mid-way in between work and more fun areas of town, so it was easy to get to both. I chose an easier commute over living in a more desirable area because I was headed to a VA where the start time was 8am--yuck! I knew a girl who commuted 45 minutes home, and she had to decline multiple opportunities to spend time with the other interns because it was so far for her to drive...and when she hit evening rush hour it was over an hour home. I might consider the following info when making a decision:
-How much do you value a shorter commute--i.e. sleeping in a bit more and getting home earlier with less hassle?
-How far will it be to drive from possible living areas given rush hour traffic (that can make a Huge difference sometimes)? That 30-45 minute drive you mentioned--is that taking into account traffic?
-Where will other interns be living? If you live 30 minutes from work and they do too but in the opposite direction, that would make spending time on weekends, or any other time that's not right after work, much more difficult if you end up making friends with them.

Personally, I might see if there's any reasonable housing in between the nice area you mentioned and work--15 minutes to work and 15 minutes to fun wouldn't be a bad split. Just remember--you have to drive to work every day, and commuting time adds up.

Finally, while I agree with OneNeuroDoctor that it's just for one year, I would disagree that rarely is internship fondly remembered by interns. I know multiple people who loved internship, and I for one thought it was one of the best years I've had since I started graduate school. 🙂

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I lived ~2 mile from my internship site and very much enjoyed having a nearly non-existent commute, although I really, really dislike traffic, so that was a primary motivating factor for me living so close. If you're ok with the drive, I'd imagine a 35-45 min drive wouldn't be horrible (most folks where I am now do that daily). Just be sure to check the route during morning/afternoon rush hour to be sure it's actually 35-45 mins and not twice that.

Also, I'd agree with HomeworkHelper--it's of course anecdotal, but everyone I know from grad school and my own internship cohort loved their internships. I know a greater proportion of folks who didn't enjoy their postdoc as much, although even then they're still in the minority.