I was accepted to Princeton's Art History PhD program, and am heading out to a campus visit soon. I've been living in NYC for two years, and absolutely adore it, and do not want to have to move (still waiting to hear from NYC schools, but planning for NJ just in case). I particularly don't want to leave because I live with my bf, who is a PhD student in NYC who absolutely could not move because his work is laboratory based (our rent is also insanely cheap), and because I'm very active in the dance and arts scene in the city. Moving to NJ (and away from friends/family) would be very hard for me, so I'm looking into the viability of commuting.
Do any other grad students commute between Princeton and NYC? I read on other parts of the forum that this is relatively affordable/doable in the technical sense, but what no one addressed was how this affects your life as a grad student. Do you think it affects your bonds between students/profs and your social life/relationships with them? Is it harder to get work done? Do the trains run frequently enough that you could come early/stay late if needed (and is it safe to get to the train late at night potentially by yourself)?
I'd be particularly interested in hearing the perspective of students who are earlier in their PhD career, as that stage generally requires more campus presence than the dissertation stage of the degree. Thanks!
