Max. Commute Time

[discogenic]

Given the rigors and time constraints of PA school, what is the maximum commute time you would consider doing? Does anyone travel over an hour? I'd love to live at home during school (both for financial as well as family reasons), but my target school is about 75 minutes away. I'm thinking this is just too far to commute each day; 2 1/2 hours driving each day is an awful lot of time that could be better spent studying.

 

Any commuters out there?

[Fat Albert]

I'll be commuting 65 miles each way when my program starts.

[EMEDPA]

there was a lady in my program who commuted from dover, Delaware to philly every day on the train. she got a lot of reading done in transit.

[discogenic]

there was a lady in my program who commuted from dover, Delaware to philly every day on the train. she got a lot of reading done in transit.

 

Train would be a nice option for that reason. Unfortunately, car is my only option in this case. I guess I could listen to various podcasts, recorded lectures or whatever while driving, but it's less than ideal.

[discogenic]

I'll be commuting 65 miles each way when my program starts.

 

65 miles of mostly highway, doing 70 mph or so, wouldn't be as bad; you could crank that out in less than an hour. I'm looking at the same distance but with some highway and some rural. It sucks because it's so close to being do-able but is probably just a hair too far, and I don't want to jeopardize my academic performance because I'm spending all my time driving.

[KCMA79]

To commute or not commute is a quest. that only you can ans. Do what you feel comfortable with.

[discogenic]

To commute or not commute is a quest. that only you can ans. Do what you feel comfortable with.

 

But I haven't started PA school yet, so although I can try to guess what it's like, I don't have the perspective that current students or practicing PAs have. Ergo, the question.

[PYRITE]

54 miles each way, about 70 minutes in traffic; This is my third year doing it (I took my pre-reqs at the same university) and its been fine so far. I generally get a hotel room for 2 or 3 days during finals and/or if there is a major snowstorm (only two storms so far in three years). At times I listen to recorded lectures in the car, but usually I just listen to music to get a break for a while from studying.

 

A typical day is get up about 5:45, leave by 6:30. Class starts at 8 and runs from 2-5 depending on the day. Study until 8:30 or 9 and home by 10-10:30. Study all day Saturday and 1/2 day Sunday at local library to get a break from the commute. Repeat..................

[mkrumm]

I had a couple classmates travel about an hour. They were very disciplined in general, and I believe they often listened to lectures during the drives. Podcasts are your friend! The drive might also be a nice mind break so you can get to work soon after getting home. I lived a mile from campus and always had to do something else before I felt up to hitting the books.

 

I'd suggest finding a classmate or two with an empty bed/couch to crash with when you're there late and feel your life might be in danger if you were to drive home.

[sartort]

I had a 35 mile commute each way of mostly highway driving (about 45 minutes) for a year of undergrad and I wouldn't do it for PA school. If it were a train or bus, it would have been fine most likely because of productivity, but I felt like I wasted time and was a lot more drained by the time I got home then when I rode my bike or walked to school. It was bad when I was taking 6 science classes in one quarter and would leave at 7 am for an 8 am class then had a night exam at 8 pm, getting home at 11pm, only to get back up early again. It also was annoying when I only had one class on campus to limit my commute and sometimes drove there for a 10 minute explanation in lab just to be let go for the day. It was also annoying when my first class was cancelled the day after my half marathon and I didn't get the e-mail because it was sent a few minutes after I left. It would have been awesome if I lived close by. The worst part, though, was arranging schedules for projects, study groups, or fun activities with friends. Weekend study groups were only worth it if they were several hours long. I couldn't drink at all if we went out because I was already tired and had to drive. I almost always wanted to leave every social activity early because of the drive, and it really wasn't that long. I didn't mind long commutes at all when I was working, but something about school made it a lot worse. I didn't listen to lectures after the first few weeks because I like to add to my notes when I re-listen to lectures, so it wasn't as effective to listen while I drove. I also had a pretty constant fear on morning exam days that I would be stranded if my car didn't start, or if it was icy on the roads, which luckily never happened. I did miss a few early classes due to ice, but luckily no exams.

 

In PA school your classmates will be mostly on the same schedule for didactic I imagine, so it might not be as bad for scheduling things, but I wouldn't do a long commute anyway. I saved a lot of money by living with my parents that year (I assume by "at home" you mean your parents' house), which is how I was able to pay for the application process, but there were other downsides to living with people with a lot more free time, and who I couldn't expect to be quiet for me when I was studying because I was a freeloader.

 

I agree that 2 1/2 hours could be better spent studying, sleeping, exercising, relaxing, or doing almost anything else besides driving. You might find that you actually have more quality time to spend with your family if you save those 12.5 hours during the week and visit them for a full day on the weekend.

[crystaltide]

One thing I learned from commuting an hour each way for over a year: the stress of driving itself. Even if you use the time to listen to lectures, driving is stressful, especially during rush hour when you'll most likely be driving. It gets to you after some time, as does the sitting for hours. I loved driving before I started commuting, and I still do, but I was still stressed out every single day because of it. It wears your car down as well, but if you have a reliable vehicle that may not be as big of a deal. Money is a huge concern, though, I understand that. I would choose whichever will be less stressful for you over all: lack of money or the long commute/living with others (if that's what you would be doing).

[jojostrow]

I'm doing 45 minutes each way and that is truly awful for the exact same reasons crystaltide wrote.

[EMEDPA]

at my first job I drove 63 miles one way in L.A. traffic ( 1 hr , 15 min each way) for 2 years.

now my commute is 20 min.

any commute is tolerable if it is for a finite time( 2-3 years). long term it's not sustainable.

[discogenic]

at my first job I drove 63 miles one way in L.A. traffic ( 1 hr , 15 min each way) for 2 years.

now my commute is 20 min.

any commute is tolerable if it is for a finite time( 2-3 years). long term it's not sustainable.

 

Perhaps for work, but I'm concerned about the reality of all the drive time cutting too deeply into study time while in school, particularly year 1. (By the way, my current commute to my office is about 3 minutes!)

[neikibe]

Another idea for studying while car commuting: Rather than listening to recorded lectures and podcasts, listen to your *own* recorded lectures. This is how I got through my grad school (MS Biochem) commute and it's been great for most of my PA prereqs, too (except anatomy--too visual).

 

First, I read through my notes and make sure I really understand everything. I look at all referenced diagrams, etc. I think about how I would explain the material to a classmate who missed the lectures.

 

Then, I make a recording of myself basically lecturing (while I look at and reference my notes). It doesn't always come out sounding pretty, but the process of forcing myself to verbalize things in an organized, coherent manner really cements it in my brain.

 

Then, while commuting I listen to the recordings. I typically have a few hours of recordings per test for a more difficult class, less for an easier one. Because I am able to gloss over material that I already knew or find easy, I end up with much less recorded time than if I had just re-listened to all of the professor's original lectures... maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the original time(?)

 

Voila! Instant A!

 

Since I won't have much of a commute at all to PA school, I plan to use this technique while I am driving my kids around or cleaning the house. It's worked for me in the past so I'm hoping for the best, though I'm sure it won't work for all of my classes....

[OpSite]

I took lots of side streets (quicker than freeway). Had flash cards/notes at my side. Studied at lights. Got honked at.....a lot ;-), but it's worked.

[jsfelder0417]

I think 45 mins is about the max I would do. Maybe it would help if you tried the drive at the rough times you would for school for a week or so just to get a realistic feel of what it would be like?

[greenmood]

As someone who commuted by train one hour every day to school during didactic and then has had 2-3 hours of driving round trip for some rotations, I can say that the train is manageable and I would have moved if I'd had to drive that long for an entire year. It's soul-sucking, and no amount of pod-casts, language CDs, or phone calls to friends who quiz you while you drive will make it less so over the long haul.

[discogenic]

Great feedback from everyone. Thanks.

[just_me]

Im not an early morning go getter, I hate traffic and well when it comes to class and such Im a "just on timer" so it truly helps to live 2 miles from school. If you can live closer, then do it--saves you the stress of the car not working, an accident blocking all lanes except for 1, slow traffic due to bad weather, the damage of a black out and the alarm clock cutting off and all the other pains that can happen and make you late

[tme12]

I commute over an hour each day. 10 min to the train station, 1 hr on the train, then a 10 minute walk. Class usually starts at 9 and ends around 6 or 7. It can be brutal at times, but I get a lot of studying done on the train or I catch up on sleep.

 

I will be driving to my rotations in a few months; it will be about 50 miles each way. I need to drive because most rotations will start too early to get the train. I am concerned about driving because of traffic, not being able to read, sleep, etc. Hopefully I can get to bed at a decent hour so I am not falling asleep at the wheel!

[mic87]

What do you guys think about a 39 min commute : 45 min with moderate traffic- with a distance of 30 Miles?

[gbrothers98]

Time becomes your biggest commodity in PA school.

I witness students making an hour commute or more each day and there are detrimental effects.

First, they get tired. Tired = more stress. More stress = poor performance.

Next, add those hours up. A minimum of 250 hours lost to commuting 30 minutes each way per year. That is either lost study time, lost gym time, lost free time, lost sleep time.

Students think they can make this time up by reading on public transportation or listening to a lecture they taped.

Doesnt work.

Invariably what occurs is that commuting students want more consideration for their commute. They dont want to attend class. They want the class schedule to accomodate the commute.

Smart students have seen the loss they face and figured out how to stay local at least during the week. It means usually doing something most dont want to consider such as renting a room or crashing on a couch with classmates.

Of course there are other circumstances to contend with. Atrocious housing costs near a program. Significant others, spouses, children, etc that have to be taken into consideration. Is the time spent commuting justified in comparison to what is lost? A very individual determination.

Good luck.

G Brothers PA-C

[whoRyou]

One really needs to ask themself, how much is your time worth?  

[UGoLong]

I'm not sure that it's the commute that gets you as much as the lost time. Not only will you be driving, but you are coming home to a place with people with whom you will want to interact with. It's hard to call that a "time waster" but it will detract from either "me time" to unwind or study time.

 

I have been in touch with a PA student who wasn't doing as well as she would like, even though she lived in the same town as her school. She finally rented a "study cave" a few blocks from the home she shares with her husband and son, just to get some space to study in without the temptation to lose even more time.

 

There is more to life than studying, but -- between going to class, unwinding after class, sleeping and studying -- there isn't much time. While I'm sure people have commuted long distances and been successful, there is a cost to pay.

 

I would have had a 2 hour commute each way to school and instead stayed in town all week. I went home most weekends (unless, for example, there was a Monday test) and generally didn't study when I went home. I did spend virtually all of the time I was in the college town studying. It worked for me and my weekends were a rough approximation of family time. Probably not all that much different from the life of a traveling salesperson.