According to new research, there are now more students studying at university and living at home than there are traditional residential students who have moved away from home to study.
Susan Kenyon, a Lecturer in Politics at Canterbury Christ Church University, says that commuter students have it pretty tough:
[C]ommuter students have a poorer experience throughout the student lifecycle. Choice of institution, access to learning, resources, support and extra-curricular activities, are all restricted. Commuters are less able to engage with in-person learning activities and are isolated from their learning community.
They feel less a sense of belonging, more a sense of burden. In consequence, commuter students have lower attainment, continuation and graduate outcomes than their residential counterparts.
If youâre a commuter student, weâd love to hear from you - how do you find the experience of studying at university while living at home?
Great share! I can kind of relate as there are times when I skip certain events just because my commute time of an hour and 10 minutes can bring me home quite late. But at the same time, I enjoy not stressing over having to cook lol.
I personally think there are both, good and bad aspects to living at home - On a primary level, You do not have a separate rent/utilities bill to pay, groceries are shared etc - the cost of travel (if considered on an annual basis) is significantly lower than what one would have to typically pay for an accommodation - so from a âcostâ perspective, it is definitely cheaper to live at home, which some families may prefer.
The main thing a lot of university students struggle with is meal planning⌠At home youâd invariably have a parent or guardian check in and ensure youâre doing good.
From an experience point of view, commuter students definitely miss out on a lot of society and social events that are usually scheduled for later in the evenings / over the weekends - travelling for an hour or so just to attend a social event wonât seem âworth itâ ( or they might just be lazy).
Flipped aspect to consider : a student living on campus could be introverted, shy and unwilling to step out of their personal bubble - they would be unhappy staying away from the comfort of their homes and the friends theyâve known for ages.
The sense of belonging fact is true, thereâs limited association to the university surroundings and it ends up not holding as many memories as it has the potential to. Thereâs always work arounds for commuter students to engage in university life, but meeting new people, socialising, engaging in university events - these are experiences that are easier to enjoy when youâre on campus, 10 minutes away from that much awaited Friday night party!
In my opinion, it ultimately boils down to the luxury of choiceâŚif you want to and can afford to live out, you 100% should, it would be an investment for a lifetime of memories!
Something that distinguishes university experience in the UK from the experience of university in many other countries is the way in which âgoing awayâ to university is almost universal - itâs just part of the deal. But living costs mean that many students now choose (or are forced) to live at home for just the reasons that you describe, @vasudevanankita.
I agree that the âsense of belongingâ is something thatâs hard to get if youâre not living with other students local to where youâre studying. Whether thatâs important or not - in the long term - is hard to say. In this situation you certainly might end up with fewer friends / contacts from university which may or may not be important in later life and work.
The main thing a lot of university students struggle with is meal planning⌠At home youâd invariably have a parent or guardian check in and ensure youâre doing good.
This! Planning a good diet with inexpensive ingredients, shopping and cooking (especially in shared kitchens - why are some people so gross ?) can be time-consuming and sometimes I just donât have the energy ! Being at home can have its problems, but having decent, familiar food isnât one of them.
Yes, studying in London is impossibly expensive now - even living at home becomes pricy when you factor in the cost of travelling to uni several days a week.
I just checked, and a single TfL fare from Zone 5 to Zone 1 for an 18+ student is now ÂŁ5.10 if you travel before 09:30 and ÂŁ3.50 at other times. So if you have an early class youâll need to fork out ÂŁ8.60 that day to get to uni and back.
For students who have classes several days of the week, that soon adds up.
The travel time eats into my day, and itâs hard to stick around for events or group study sessions. I do feel a bit disconnected from campus life, and making friends is trickier when youâre not always around. That said, saving money and having home comforts is a plus.
?) can be time-consuming and sometimes I just donât have the energy 
! Being at home can have its problems, but having decent, familiar food 
isnât one of them.