Commuting to TAMU (Houston, Austin, College Station: schools, college, living in)

[houstonmamaofthree]

I am considering a graduate program there and wondered if anyone here has ever commuted from Houston. How long of a drive it is, is this even possible?

Thanks

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by houstonmamaofthree

I am considering a graduate program there and wondered if anyone here has ever commuted from Houston. How long of a drive it is, is this even possible?

Thanks

You can do this if you want to spend long hours on the road each day (>4 hours including traffic on 290/6) and you like spending a lot of money on gas.

Live in Bryan or College Station and make a trip to Houston (or Austin) when you want the big city.

[Mustang1]

It's about an hour each way from Cypress, maybe an hour and a half from downtown with no traffic. I would only consider if you were taking classes 2-3 days a week max.

[mom22bless]

Yeah it's a killer drive. 1.5 - 2 depending on how far into Houston you live.

[chris_ut]

As an undergrad you could pull that off with a Tue/Thur schedule but as a grad student I wouldn't recommend it. College Station is a fairly nice town so consider just living there and you can always drive to Houston on the weekends to do things if you need to.

[BrooklynTx]

Originally Posted by houstonmamaofthree

I am considering a graduate program there and wondered if anyone here has ever commuted from Houston. How long of a drive it is, is this even possible?

Thanks

I completed a graduate degree at A&M and thought this may be possible, as well, but unfortunately it wasn't. Many professors try living in Houston and Austin and commuting and this is obviously problematic as well, given the distance and the amount of time one spends at school/work.

Depending upon where you are from and what you are accustomed to, CS may be a culture shock experience for you. I grew up in Houston, completed my undergrad in Houston and I experienced culture shock, as do many who are accustomed to and prefer more diverse places (ethnicity, culture, religion, beliefs, ect....). If you like strip centers, banal chain restaurants, country bars and mega churches, its perfect. If not, be ready for some shock.

If you do end up moving there, I would recommend living in Bryan, rather than CS. What little charm that does exist in the sister cities is almost exclusively in Bryan, not CS.

[jfre81]

College Station sucks, IMNSHO. Some cults have compounds, but Aggieism has its own frickin' town.

But what would suck worse is having to drive there and back from Houston all the time.

[BrooklynTx]

Originally Posted by jfre81

College Station sucks, IMNSHO. Some cults have compounds, but Aggieism has its own frickin' town.

But what would suck worse is having to drive there and back from Houston all the time.

You were far more up front about it than me, but I agree. Try teaching those robots....

[tstone]

Originally Posted by BrooklynTx

You were far more up front about it than me, but I agree. Try teaching those robots....

Living there as a citizen and doing part-time grad school sucked beyond belief, so I feel your pain. I didn't finish my masters because the environment to me, coming from Houston, was becoming mentally unhealthy. Once you're 22, the social scene is dead, and there are no good places to build a career if your head isn't up a local good-ole boy's a$$. Also the locals' strong resentment towards A&M students and graduates in the workplace makes it a rather unpleasant place to be. Unfortunately these final experiences in CS make me not want to go back to visit much.

However, I do not consider myself a robot, nor any of my college friends. The first 4 yrs in undergrad was a pretty good time, but that was about it.

You'd be surprised how many "liberal conservatives" there are in that school. I guess that's what happens when you're on your own for the first time from an upper-middle class and slightly oppressive upbringing.

But back to the topic: For 1 month I commuted from CS to Houston when I finally found work here, but before I moved. That drive was hell. I don't recommend it for anyone.

[houstonmamaofthree]

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I am in a racial and religious minority so I really don't think CS would be good for my kids. I think I will just look into the grad schools here in Houston. Thanks again.