Commuting?

[Guest michca]

Hi everyone:

I was just wondering if any current medical students could give info on whether or not commuting during medical school (i.e. Kitchener to London, Hamilton to Toronto) is feasible, at least for the first two years? Also, are there any medical students out there that are involved in long distance relationships, or commuting back and forth in order to be with their partner?

I realize that these questions might be a bit naive on my part (i.e. workload in med school may be WAY too tough to even consider commuting) but it never hurts to ask!

Thanks!

[Guest jmh2005]

There are several people in my class who commute... some have longer distances than others...I can think of at least 4 or 5 people who do the Toronto - Hamilton commute at least 3-4x/week and there is someone who does a Kitchener - Hamilton trek and a Welland/Niagara trek each day as well...it can be done...I commute from West Oakville...only 20-25 minutes... for me, its very do-able. Some people who commute do stay in Hamilton with classmates 1-2x/week especially if they need to be at school one night and be back early the next am, one person in my group stays in Hamilton Mon-Fri and goes home on weekends to Toronto where his wife and young child are. I think commuting will be more difficult once clerkship starts, so we will see...thankfully we have amazing classmates who are always willing to lend a couch or futon!!

 

There are a few people in my class who post here who do commute (and a longer distance than myself), perhaps they will add their input as well as to how they are managing...

 

There are a few people who live separate from their partners as well and only see them every 2-4 weekends...I'm always impressed how dedicated some people are...they seem to be managing well, but it must be difficult...

 

Hope that provides some perspective, take care!

[Guest mying]

There is someone in my class making the commute from to London from Kitchener, where she lives with her husband (he commutes to Toronto). Another commutes from Woodstock to London -- her husband commutes to Kitchener. Starting next year I'll be commuting Ingersoll to London (1 hour door-to-door to most hospitals during the day). It's going to bite, but sometimes these things are worth it. Besides, I need somebody to look after the dog. :b

 

I currently I see my fiance about once every week or so, which was a tough adjustment after living together for two years. Still, I don't regret it -- I needed the space to readjust to medical school, and I'm glad I had it.

 

There are definitely some long distance relationships out there. I think the prize may go to a girl in my class who has a boyfriend in Georgia, and they take turns flying to each other when they can. I also know someone getting married this summer who will likely be spending at least their first year of marriage apart (she's in Kingston, he's in London).

 

It's also worth noting that your first year of medical school can really challenge a relationship, and it's better to find out then if it's not going to work than to drag it on. I don't say that to be a downer, it's just very true that a lot of long-term relationships came to an end last year. That said, it can also strengthen it.

[Guest aneliz]

UWO tends to have very few commuters...I know of one in my class and one in the class of 2005. The rest of us live in London.....and some of us even complain how far a commute it is to school from the other side of the city! I think the primary reason for this is that there really aren't that many other cities that are close enough to London to be reasonable to commute from....not like the Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener, Oakville, Burlington scene....and the other reason is the fact that we have classes that start at 8 AM pretty much every day...I personally wouldn't want to face an hour commute before that....and parking on campus can be a nightmare....although not so much if you actually make it out for 8 AM...but if you try and roll in at 9:30 or 10...good luck!

 

There are plenty of people in our class and the 2005 class that are involved in long distance relationships.... and some of them are very long distance....like London - Georgia....London-Vancouver....but there are also lots of London-Toronto, London-Ottawa, London- Guelph, etc, etc, relationships too. So far, I think that most of these people are doing okay...there have been a few notable break-ups...but I think that is to be expected. Most people take a 'road trip' to go visit family, friends, significant others about once a month on average...depending on exam schedules and other med school events....so it is do-able! Of course once you get to clerkship, it will become a whole different story...I think that commuting will be impossible at that point....and likely the long-distance relationships a little less secure as well do to the increased time demands....of course you can make just about anything work if you want it bad enough and I am sure that there are people that have successfully commuted and maintained a long distance relationship throughout clerkship....

[Guest Ian Wong]

Floating back to the top.

 

Ian