So, I’m commuting about 2 hours back and forth via the train for the first year of college. If it’s really bad, I’ll work out the finances and try to dorm the second year. Right now I am scheduled for 4 days a week, given that I would definitely have class on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. I only have a 3 hour chemistry lab on Thursday that I am considering putting on Tuesday morning. Is it worth having 3 days a week of classes, but on Tuesday I’d start at 8am and finish at 5pm? Basically, I’d leave at 6am and get home at 7pm. Or, is it better to spread it out over 4 days of school? Thank you for your opinion!
How many classes you have on each day?
If you have only 1 class on Tuesday then its OK to have the 3 hour chem lab on Tuesday.
Can you study on the train? I could not read when riding on the bus. It made me feel dizzy.
I have three classes on Tuesday and I’m planning on attempting to study on the train.
3 classes and 3 hour lab on Tuesday is a lot.
You need time to prepare for tests or homeworks due on Tuesday.
If you can utilize your time on the train then take classes on 4 days per week.
Bring a book on the train and try to see how much you can read it.
As a personal commuter, I don’t like commuting just for one class so I’ll try to pack everything into fewer days. Off days are perfect for either a job or catching up on work. I personally wouldn’t mind all 5 days as long as all 5 days have multiple classes attached to them.
My commute is 2 hours round trip by train – it isn’t horrible or anything. I schedule classes 5 days a week early in the morning (I leave my house at 5am and I’m back at home by 11am.) You’ll find that unless you’re stuck in peak rush hour, the train can be pretty peaceful and good for studying (flashcards, notes, etc) and reading (leisure or assigned.)
Spreading classes out for the sake of assignments and assessments such as quizzes and exams will be better for you in the long run than trying to reduce the frequency of your commutes which will make due dates stack up on top of each other pretty quickly.
I agree with all of you guys! Four days would probably be better. With four days, I would be back home at 5:00 PM and leave relatively late in the morning. I’m just a little afraid.
You also need time to go to the professor offices, to the review sessions, to work with your classmates, to enjoy some events on campus,…
Yeah that is true… hopefully I will be able to handle it
Where do you live?
The metro NY region received a LOT of snow last winter, and the winter before that…and the winter before that was Superstorm Sandy.
If you’re in a part of the country where winters are harsh, then you can expect that commute to grow every time the weather is bad. So that’s the one argument I can offer for condensing your schedule to 3 days.
Also, is there any additional cost involved in commuting the 4th day?
Beyond that, I would spread them out.
@bjkmom - I had some pretty rough commutes this winter (February) with New England’s “Snowmageddon” which basically obliterated public transit in Boston. Luckily a lot of universities and colleges closed a lot of those days - especially the ones with larger commuter populations (I didn’t have a full week of school until March.) Hopefully OP is going to school in SoCal or Florida, lol.
Yeah, it became almost a punchline at school… “At least we’re not in Boston!” (sorry!) and, before Christmas, “At least we’re not in Buffalo!”
But I’m thinking a more typical snowy winter-- one where school is still in session, but the commute becomes a nightmare because of the weather.
Unfortunately I live in NYC, so it will be bad… especially because I need to wait for a bus after the train and the bus is usually too packed to stop during bad weather.
But, I don’t mind car service on days with bad weather, since I’m saving so much from not dorming.
If you’re commute is 2 hours you’re looking at spending upwards of 50-100 dollars one way. Definitely not the ideal thing to do.
If you were older I would say to condense them but as a freshman I would say to space them out because you don’t know what you can handle quite just yet.
I dormed my first two years and will be commuting (driving) about 20 minutes each way but I only have 1 class Monday and 4 on Tuesday and 3 on friday- I would never suggest that to an incoming freshman (which is probably closer to what you would have to do to condense)