Apologies for missing the post last week – the first week of third year had my full attention!
This week I’m going to give a few tips about a cost I forgot about initially when budgeting for college – transport. I’ll start with the basics; walk, cycle, or carpool if at all possible. It’s cheaper and it’s way better for the planet.
Every college has different placement sites, some fairly close to campus and others a fair distance away. My college has placement sites all across the northeast and even the northwest of Ireland – ranging from ten minutes down the road to almost the other side of the country – so the costs can be variable.
Before you buy a ticket, check out every option; buses, trains, whatever you can find. Don’t forget to look at the multi-trip tickets and go for the student prices. Students in Ireland, it’s well worth getting a student Leapcard. Students in other countries, I honestly have no idea what the good value deals are for ye, drop me a comment if you know of anything! Bus Éireann offer student discounts on top of the existing reductions as well for different months of the year (I’d imagine Irish Rail do too).
One of the most useful things that I found was asking other students who have already been to the placement site. Someone will have found a good value way of getting there or they live there and know a good company. This is where your Student’s Union or Midwifery Society come in really handy.
The same idea goes for getting to college; check out the options and ask around. Don’t be afraid to ask people who live in the same area as you if they’d give you a lift sometimes – giving them cash towards fuel will probably be cheaper than any bus or train ticket and you’ll be helping them out.
If you have any tips that I’ve forgotten or suggestions on what else I should talk about, leave a comment or send me a message!
a midwife's path ✿ 