Meet some of our commuting students!

We have students who commute from all over the north-east and beyond. You can read their stories and find out how they commute and why.

Jake's journey

I am a second-year Film and Media student, and I live in Chapel Park, Newcastle, meaning my nearest Metro station is Bank Foot. I drive and park my car there and get the Metro to St Peter’s station. The journey takes roughly an hour, including the drive from my house and the walk from the station to the campus. A Pop Blue card that gives me discounted Metro journeys, the round trip costs £2, and the parking at the station is £1.20.

Why did you chose to commute over living in student halls?

I chose commuting to university over living in student halls mainly because of the cost, it seemed wasteful to spend more on rent when Sunderland was in commuting distance and I had no problems with continuing to live at home with my parents. I was worried that I might miss out on socialising as a commuting student but this has not been the case, I frequently participate in the weekly CineClub events at the Media Centre cinema with my friends and we run an extra-curricular podcast together.

What are the pros and cons of commuting? 

The main pros of commuting in my opinion in addition to the low cost is the more relaxing nature of the journey, I could drive all the way to campus but I prefer the comfort of easily finding a parking space at the Metro station and making use of the journey time to catch up on university work, listen to music or read a book for example. The main con of commuting via the Metro however is the occasionally unpredictable nature of the service, some trains can get cancelled or delayed leading to the odd missed lecture here and there but it rarely intrudes too heavily and hopefully with the increased use of the newer Metro trains this will become less of an issue.

Laura's journey

I am a first-year occupational therapy student commuting to the University from Seaham, Durham. I drive from my home park at the City Campus, which takes me about 30 minutes. The cost for driving is approximately £1.60 and I have a student blue badge parking permit, meaning I can park in the university car park free of charge.

Why did you chose to commute over living in student halls?

I chose to commute to university rather than live in student halls because it made more sense for me both personally and financially. Living at home with my parents allowed me to save on accommodation costs, which I can put towards travel, resources and future opportunities like attending placements and conferences related to occupational therapy. I have previously studied for another degree and lived in student halls. Hence the reason I decided to live at home with my parents, as Sunderland was within commuting distance and I found home a quiet environment to recharge after a long day of lectures.
 
I was worried that not living in student halls would affect my university experience but this has not been the case. I’m still actively involved in uni life. I make the most of my time on campus by having lunch and coffee with my friends and meeting friends on weekends in the city centre or at the beach in Roker. 

What are the pros and cons of commuting? 

The main pro of commuting is that it is convenient and allows for flexibility in my schedule. If I made the journey by bus, it would take over an hour, and the buses to my home aren’t very regular. The main con of commuting is sometimes finding a car parking space in the car park is difficult, especially if my start time is later in the day.