Would you be willing to commute 4 hours?

[pearspears]

Two hours one way, three days a week?

 

 

This would save you thousands of dollars. 

[ereissoup]

For me, it would depend. If it's on the bus or public transit where I could read or otherwise make semi-productive use of my time, then I wouldn't mind it.

 

If it was a drive, I would definitely reconsider my options. Are the thousands of dollars of savings worth all the unproductive and generally wasted (at least to me; I don't enjoy driving) time?

[123hardasABC]

Ugh, I'm from LA so I do this every day for work...

 

...but if it's for school, I wouldn't do this. I commuted for a year during my undergrad, and I can't recommend it. I felt like I was wasting time traveling back and forth. Even when I took public transit, I found myself too distracted to really study on my commute. I don't think saving a few grand a year is not worth sacrificing your academics.

[TakeruK]

For me, if it was a bus or public transit, I probably would not do the 4 hour commute, because it would mean that in addition to having to spend 4 hours on the road, I would also not have control over my own schedule. I would greatly prefer to not be productive in those 4 hours but get to choose exactly when I left home/campus.

 

I actually had a really long commute in undergrad, 1.0-1.5 hours each way, 5 days a week. It also required a bus change so there was a lot of waiting for bus schedules to line up. These buses are specifically meant for university commuters so they were packed (everyone on campus has a free bus pass as part of student fees) which means it would be impossible to do any work! Although I was glad to save money (especially during undergrad!) and do my part for the environment during those 5 years, I am very happy that I now live in a place that is close enough and warm enough to walk or bike to school every day (and it is only a 5-10 minute commute!)

 

But thousands of dollars is a large amount. I would make the 2 hour one-way commute if most of the following are true, in addition to saving a significant amount of money: 

 

1. I get to live in the same city as my family/partner/friends/etc. (e.g. if my spouse has a job in a city 2 hours away)

2. I are not paid a stipend by my grad program

3. I am not expected to/planning to be on campus for anything more than classes and regularly scheduled meetings/seminars

4. I would be in full control of my travel arrangements (i.e no carpools, buses or other schedules to line up)