5 ways picking a uni close to home can make you more successful

While many first years leave home, change state or travel great distances to get to uni, starting tertiary study doesn’t have to mean leaving everything familiar behind. In fact, there are some great perks to picking a uni close to home which could mean more success for you in your studies and life!

1. You’ll waste less time commuting

Whether you drive, train or Uber to uni, travelling to a campus in a different part of town can really eat up your time and finances over the course of a typical uni week.

By picking a uni close to home, you’ll free up more hours to get on top of your reading and assignments (as well as fit in part-time work and spend time with family and friends). As highly successful students will tell you, keeping a good balance between work and life is key to achieving your best.

Spend less time commuting and more on study (and fun).

2. You’ll already know your way around the area

While it can be exciting to explore a new part of the world, first year uni offers enough challenges without having to reorient your whole life as well.

By sticking close to home, you’ll already know where to find the best coffee, yummiest local lunches, and funkiest study spots (and bars). You can also save money by popping home for lunch so you have more to spend on study supplies (and weekend parties!).

Stay close to your favourite local coffee spots.

3. You’ll find new friends in your 'hood

Students are increasingly choosing unis closer to home – by making the same choice, you'll find that more of your new uni friends are from your area too. They might even be the cute neighbour you’ve been watching for three years (wait, that’s creepy, but you get the drift…).

Another added bonus? You’ll be able to stay in touch with your school friends even if you’ve gone to different unis because you’ll still be living at or close to home. Either way, you’ll have a bunch of local study buddies.

Make new friends in your neighbourhood.

4. You can stay living at home

Stop that eye roll and just think of all the money you could save! Living out of home not only increases your living costs but ups your daily stresses.

Do you really want to be worrying about finding a job, paying rent and bills, furnishing rooms and cleaning up after housemates when you could just be throwing yourself into uni life and your studies? There is a lot to be said for sticking it out at home for just a bit longer while you settle into the new routine of university.

Staying in your familiar surroundings can offer lots of benefits.

5. You can save money to travel further afield

Just because you’re studying close to home and still living at home doesn’t mean you can’t get out and explore the world!

Most universities offer exciting study abroad programs so you can go on exchange to universities overseas – and gain credit for your degree. By studying close to home most of the time, you’ll have saved up more money and energy to enjoy your time away!