Im an incoming student at Columbia CDM and i live about a 20 min car ride from the school or about 30 min in traffic. Im still deciding wether or not to commute... I have commuted to college all of the four years.
Do most dental students commute or live near campus and is there an advantage to either?
Most don't commute, but the answer to whether or ot to commute depends on you and your preference.
One student at UTDB (TX) 2 years ago commuted 1.5 hours daily to go to school. Crazy if you ask me. I lived 30 minutes away from High school and hated it. I will never commute again, but the choice is up to you.
I would suggest looking at how much time you might save if you didn't commute.
Look at it on a monthly basis too, not daily, to get a better idea of how much you might increase productivity.
So 30 minutes vs 5 minutes daily X 5 days a week= 150 minutes weekly vs 25 minutes weekly X 4 weeks a month= 600 minutes monthly vs 100 minutes monthly.
So, monthly, 10 hrs commuting vs ~1.5 hrs commuting.
In addition, factor in gas prices and costs of commuting as well!
I think I may be the one you are referring to Jay. Right now, I live only 1.5 miles from the school because I was displaced because of Hurricaine Ike. But, within the next month, I move back into my house. At that point, if I travel at odd hours - before 6 am and after 6-7 pm, then I can get to my house form the dental school if my wife picks me up in front of the school in 23 minutes at best. If I travel during normal commuting hours, it takes 45-50 minutes each way. So, when comig from my house, I sped usually between 1 - 1.5 hours daily commuting.
Do I like the commute? Not necessarily. Am I glad I commute? Yes. I like the fact that I DO NOT live in Houston when I live in my house. My house is in a great gated community with a large lake and golf course across the street. It is very peaceful and allows me to decompress in the evenings. As I got older (almost 37 now), I started to appreciate that I bar hopping in the city wasn't as enjoyable as it use to be. I love that i can get away from the headaches of the city.
For my wife and I, commuting is an easy choice and would chose to do the same thign again if we were put in the same situation again.
Now, commuting is not for everyone. I know a couple people who commute only because they either have family on that part of town and need to be close to them for child care purposes or they already owned a place out there.
It comes down to your wants and desires. You will find that some commute, but most will live fairly close to the school.
