Commute from Newcastle (Kotara) to UNSW (1 Viewer)

[ScienceGuy99]

Hi all,

I'm wanting desperately to attend UNSW next year (I'm currently in year 12), but I'm having doubts as to whether or not it can be done with the issue of commuting a total of 5 hours every day I need to go to uni annoyingly lingering over my head.

I understand that some people manage this Newcastle-to-Sydney commute daily for their work, but only for short periods of time (6 months or so). So I was wondering if anyone thought it was possible for me to (1) construct my timetable to make it so I only have to attend uni 3 days a week, fitting lectures, tutorials, and labs in there; and (2) manage the 5 hour commute.


Thankyou very much!

I originally posted this in the science faculty one accidentally

 

[Queenroot]

Yeah it's possible considering most of us within Sydney travel 2 hours anyway

 

[Queenroot]

Meaning 4 hours to and back

 

[ScienceGuy99]

Meaning 4 hours to and back

It would probably be around 6 hours total. I double checked the times and it's 3 hours to actually get to the university by bus.

 

[Jaxxnuts]

I'd recommend you live on campus to make things easier and convenient. Only problem is that you have to pay rent which I guess is kinda annoying

 

[Fizzy_Cyst]

I personally think that travel time should not discourage you, if you get into the habit of using even half of the travel time effectively for study -- you have done 3 hours of study a day. But, you need to get into that habit from day one and stick to it.

 

[ScienceGuy99]

I personally think that travel time should not discourage you, if you get into the habit of using even half of the travel time effectively for study -- you have done 3 hours of study a day. But, you need to get into that habit from day one and stick to it.

That's what I plan on doing. Because I plan to do a double degree, including philosophy, there's going to be a lot of reading haha

A major concern is the time I'd be leaving in the morning (5am) and getting back at night (8-11pm). If I had to get home one night at 11pm and leave at 4:30am the following morning, I'd be absolutely buggered.

 

[ScienceGuy99]

I'd recommend you live on campus to make things easier and convenient. Only problem is that you have to pay rent which I guess is kinda annoying

I've done the maths and there's no way I can afford it

 

[Jaxxnuts]

I've done the maths and there's no way I can afford it

work a part time job when studying?

To be honest if I were you I wouldn't go UNSW mainly because of commuting issues and instead I'd go to university of Newcastle because it's so much closer (although there are some uni students who take ages to get to uni because of commuting issues). Also it can be a bit hard to study on the train because the train is constantly moving and not all trains are quiet (unless you can work in that environment)

 

[Squar3root]

UoN seems like the best option for you

Are you able to apply for scholarships? Centerlink? Etc

 

[Mathew587]

Six hours of travel sounds very unpractical. If I were you, I'd just do the degree at Newcastle or rent a place that's not too close to Unsw so that rent isn't too expensive i.e. Bankstown while working considering you only have uni 3 times a week or so.

 

[ScienceGuy99]

work a part time job when studying?

My grades would suffer tremendously if I worked part time. I plan on doing BSc(Neuroscience)/BArt(Philosophy) at UNSW with a distinction average at least so I can go into science research, so that wouldn't allow much time outside uni.

UoN doesn't offer anything like what UNSW does in terms of what I want, so it would be absolutely amazing to go to UNSW and study these courses! It's just a matter of weighing up the extreme commute hours and challenging timetable (early mornings, late nights) with my love of these study areas not offered anywhere but Sydney

Any advice or unforeseen pros/cons of this?

 

[Squar3root]

My grades would suffer tremendously if I worked part time. I plan on doing BSc(Neuroscience)/BArt(Philosophy) at UNSW with a distinction average at least so I can go into science research, so that wouldn't allow much time outside uni.

UoN doesn't offer anything like what UNSW does in terms of what I want, so it would be absolutely amazing to go to UNSW and study these courses! It's just a matter of weighing up the extreme commute hours and challenging timetable (early mornings, late nights) with my love of these study areas not offered anywhere but Sydney

Any advice or unforeseen pros/cons of this?

Your psychological health will suffer if your trying to function on about 4-5hrs of decent sleep per night. It is possible to work while maintaining a DN average

 

[Flop21]

Hi all,

I'm wanting desperately to attend UNSW next year (I'm currently in year 12), but I'm having doubts as to whether or not it can be done with the issue of commuting a total of 5 hours every day I need to go to uni annoyingly lingering over my head.

I understand that some people manage this Newcastle-to-Sydney commute daily for their work, but only for short periods of time (6 months or so). So I was wondering if anyone thought it was possible for me to (1) construct my timetable to make it so I only have to attend uni 3 days a week, fitting lectures, tutorials, and labs in there; and (2) manage the 5 hour commute.


Thankyou very much!

I originally posted this in the science faculty one accidentally

I would very much consider living on campus.

PM me and I can tell you where you can go to get accommodation on campus for ~$270 a week. If your parents aren't rich, centrelink / youth allowance + rent assistance should cover all your rent. You will need savings or a job to cover other expenses.

You said you've done the math but are you sure you've accounted for the centrelink rates for those that live >1.5hours away from home + rent assistance.

 

[4Indigoo]

Honestly, why do that to yourself? Just go to UoN. The time you'll be loosing in travel is nowhere near worth attending UNSW. Do your undergrad at UoN and then apply for Honours at UNSW. I gave up on UNSW because it was half an hour longer than getting to USyd and I live within 1h30min of each. Also with a degree in neuroscience you can forget a 3 day week. And when do you plan on studying because you also have to factor that in?

 

[strawberrye]

I highly recommend you trying to live closer to uni and getting a part time job, it actually will help you tremendously for your career prospects, you will soon find that having a distinction average in your degree and no other work experience is not going to help you much in the real world, but I do understand if you want your first year to settle in study habits etc. I know someone in law who lives in Wollongong and treks to UNSW, but I think besides the transport time you need to factor in, I think another thing I will be quite concerned about is you will severely limit your ability to participate in any extra-curricular activity on campus if you live that far away and takes that long to commute. If you want a well-rounded CV by the time you graduate (and you want to give yourself options because you might change your mind and decide science research is not for you), then you should really either select a closer uni or move closer to UNSW.

It doesn't have to be a place near UNSW, it can be like an hour away, but even then, it will be much better than your current enormous commute time.