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If you get on with your parents and are sure you want to live at home for another 3 years then it may be your best option.
Uni is very expensive now though, are you sure it's worth the £3,000 plus you'll have to pay each year for tuition fees?
You're right, halls isn't for some people. Simple as. I didn't like the idea of halls one little bit. My first year was in a university controlled flat. Yes, still university controlled, but a completely different ball game to halls. It's a matter of each to their own.
What I think you need to do, with regards to your original question, is work out the finances. Crocidolite is right - it will be an expensive commute. But find out. Then find out how much it could cost to flatshare with your mates from college and weigh them up. Remember, it isn't for a year yet so you have plenty of time to assess your options
EDIT: Also work out the times. One day, imagine you have a 9am start, do the commute. See what it is like. See how much of a hassle it is and then do it home, imagining leaving uni at 5pm. These small things may help to swing your decision one way or another.
You certainly wouldn't want to be driving it because between there and London is a permanent traffic jam.
So you'd need to be comitted, because for economy you'd probably be needing to buy a year's ticket in advance, and you'd need to be prepared to get into debt unless you're earning.
Unfortunately, I would imagine the commute to London from MK would put you into a bit of debt too.
Milton Keynes - London commute. The only conceivable way is by Train, which is packed AND expensive. . I presume you've already invesitgated and are aware that the return trip at peak time is £30 per DAY. If you opt for an annual season it is £3,284 per year, if you add a London Travelcard it is over £4,000.. I dont know bout London prices but my accomodation for a year at Uni is under £3,000. I did commute to uni from home (2hrs door to door, train + bus) and it was absolute hell. Are you really that dedicated? For a 9am start for example at UCL, you need to be on a train in Milton Keynes before 7am.
I dont mean to be rude, but you really need a major rethink.
For some people, just getting the degree is exactly what university is about. Not everyone wants to join societies, join in with the social life. At the end of the day, I would assume alot of people are primarily at university to get their degree and better themselves.
Last year, that is exactly why I was there.
It's worth thinking about how you are going to better yourself along side your degree. Societies and things like that give you the opportunity to show commitment, responsibilty, experience in handling large budgets in some cases, team work skills. Granted these thing can also be achieved elsewhere but if one is going to commute one is going to lose most of ones time available for these things (or part time work) to the time spent commuting.
I think I've said it but I'll say it again because it's relevant here, there is no way that you can think of anything else you can use the commuting time for except possibly half reading really trashy books or idly listening to music.
I'd agree with renzo that you missed out if that's all you did.
As far as I'm concerned, my degree is a means to an end, a pain in the arse. My university is great, my team are awesome my friends are brilliant I have had more fun in the last two academic years than I've ever had at one time before in my life.
I work hard. But my degree isn't everything.
Why did I miss out though? I already had great friends and made some more on my course, wasn't interested in societies and I'm not interested in going out getting slaughtered every single weekend.
My u/g degree was the hardest 4 years of my life and wouldn't want to wish the shit that I had on anyone. My p/g was a hard time and I was there to get a result.
My point is, there are ways to better yourself than just going to university to get slaughtered and / or join various societies.
There's a girl from my dance class who drives to sheffield hallam every day because she didn't want to give up dancing and wasn't interested in living there. She's probably the most friendly and lovely person i know. It doesn't mean that people who don't want to live there are anti social and stuff. Living at uni isn't for everyone.
Though of course you do need to take cost and time into consideration. Traveling long and early gets very tiring and daunting after a bit.
Xpression FM: The uni radio station, if i hadnt joined this i wouldnt have my own radio show and i wouldnt want to get into journalism.
Catfish: Indie Music Society, regualy gets special entry to gigs and ive made some good friends.
Motor Soc: I got to go karting at a discount price.
Welsh Soc: Ive got other welsh people to go and watch international matches with.
And all of this without having to spend all my time slogging for a degree. Joining societies opened up so many pathways to me and i made many friends, many more so than on my course for example.
*shrugs* hey, if you think you've experienced everything you want, fine, that's up to you.
University is however a fantastic gateway into learning how to grow up, and learning about other people and things you can do. I don't drink, at all, so getting slaughtered wasn't exactly a priority of mine. But one society, has lead me all the way to management of the GB Junior team. Which is going to look fucking ace on my CV. Lots of people will get a degree, and I suspect plenty of people will get better degrees than me, or similar and will have done summer internships or years in industry or have gone to the same private school as their interviewer. I however, will have spent my university life, not in the library, but learning how to interact with other human beings, and that will get me a job at the end of it all, not a 2:1
I'm not saying that I spent every single second in the library studying my arse off. Far from it. I socialised with my flatmates and people from my course. I had a life at university. I worked hard, had a job and worked hard there, had good friends etc etc. University life isn't just about joining societies. My most memorable nights at uni were sitting in my flat, with my 4 other flatmates, having a really nice meal and then hiring out a dvd or whatever.
I do take offense at you saying that I didn't make the most of my time at uni. I did uni the way that I wanted to and have come away with valuable experiences. I learnt how to grow up and interact with people. I just did it differently to you.
Each person takes to uni differently. The life you and Renzo have described isn't for each and every single student out there. That worked for you, well done. Doesn't mean it is what every student craves for. And it certainly doesn't mean that every student will miss out on 'things' if they don't do it.
So in fact, you did do what Renzo and I have been saying people should do, you just did it without the official side.
I'm not saying you can't work with other people, you evidently got on with your flat mates fine, it's just you have less evidence than others might. It's not a massive issue but it's one worth thinking about, just like at school they always told you that uni's weren't only interested in your grades but in the other stuff you did too. This equally applies to employers and uni's.
Societies aren't the be all and end all, but I think that everyone should seriously think about doing something other than chilling with mates and their course, doesn't have to be a uni society, that's just the obvious one.
"so, I notice that you didn't go to any societies at university, can you explain that?"
I don't see anyone here saying that they have no life, though. The closest thing that I got to a society was a discussion about how we could get the free fifty quid without actually having to form a real club. Still managed to have a life and - miraculously it seems - get a job.
It's each individuals call but if one is going for a highly competitive job the one will need everything going for oneself to help one get it and the experience one may have gained from hobbies often helps.
Not really, no.
University was primarily about getting my degree to better myself. However, I didn't take part in the whole social side of university like societies, SU etc etc. My point is, Ilora can do all this sort of stuff without having to move to London. She *can* commute and do her own thing if that is what she wants and she certainly wouldn't be missing out if she didn't.
*shrugs*
My argument was in response to this:
And I still stand by my opinion that this isn't the case for all people.
That commute is a long way, and it would cost as much as if you moved out. So why not move out? You don't have to live in a squalid bedsit and live the student life, but that commute would wipe you out, would cost a fortune, and would be utterly pointless.
Arguably in my opinion there is huge potential to miss out on even the most basic thing - lectures.
A stressful tiring 2hr commute to a 9am morning lecture isn't going to leave anybody at their best - and thats if they even get there on time. Milton Keynes - London trains aren't famed for reliablity, and neither is the tube.
as long as you have some form of social interaction outside of lectures and don't hide away in your room for three years you should be fine......if i'd had to commute i don't think i'd ever have graduated, it's hard enough tearing yourself out of bed at 8.55 for the 9am lecture, trust me.