Tips on Surviving Long Commutes As a (Medical) Student

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well and in the best of health. Medical school is coming to an end 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 therefore I thought I should write about one of my biggest struggles during it which was ✨ commuting ✨

Whenever I tell people that my school is more than an hour away from where I live, I am usually met with a shocked reaction.

What? Why? How?

Yea, I know I know. I am in one of the hardest programs to have ever existed while simultaneously having a 2-hour plus commute almost daily. It’s insane!

However, I did it for a couple of reasons. For starters, it did save me A LOT of money! And I did not have to make my own meals, do my laundry, miss out on key events with my family etc etc. So honestly it was completely worth it to me.

But how did I do it? I remember searching the internet far and wide for students who would potentially be doing the same thing but with no luck. Therefore, I told myself if I made it near the end of medical school after all of this commuting, I would definitely share my tips.

1. Prepare the night before

I would be in my school area for hours on end, sometimes the whole day, therefore I knew I had to be prepared for it. I would write down what time I needed to get there, when I should leave the house, which meals and snacks I wanted to pack, and when my day would be over. If my location was a little over an hour away, I would leave an hour and 30 minutes earlier, just to give myself enough time to get there. I would also try to get up an hour earlier before I left. Fortunately, being Muslim helped because of Fajr prayer. Here’s a sample schedule:

Fajr at 5:00 am
Change
Make breakfast
Pack lunch
Leave the house at 6:30 am
Get to school by 8 am
Class until 1 pm
Study at the school library until 5 pm
Come home
Relax
Dinner
Bed

I would change this schedule depending on where I would go. It’s best to prepare your outfit and meals the night before because preparing the next morning can be challenging.

2. Make sure your car is filled with gas

This! There were times when I would be driving and my gas would be low and I would have to stop at the nearest gas station. Truly is not it. Therefore, try to make sure you have enough gas before the long commute because the worst thing to happen would be your car stopping in the middle of the road.

3. Find a halfway spot

Yes! For my commute, there is a rest area that is halfway from my house to my destination. Therefore if I am feeling super exhausted or if I am traveling through terrible weather, I would try my best to stop at that area, rest and relax for 10-15 minutes, and continue on. Even though I was so anxious to go home quickly sometimes, it was better to be safe than sorry.

4. Find a sleeping spot at your destination

As you guys can probably tell, I was not getting enough sleep during these commutes. At one point, my eyes were super dark due to the lack of sleep I was getting. I highly recommend getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep. However, because I was not getting that, I needed to find a spot on campus when I would be exhausted. Thankfully, I had my school’s library. There was one room where barely any students would go to which allowed me to get a 1-2 hour nap. Looking back, I wish I bought a nice pillow and some blankets which would have made the nap much more comfortable however, I am so grateful to have found a place. Some of my classmates have offered me their couches and rooms in their apartments but…I am not someone who likes to sleep in other people’s places lol. So find your spot!

5. Download podcasts or videos

People always asked me how I would study. I talk about it here, but honestly, I would try to go to the school library and get a lot of it done or during the weekends I would do a lot of it then (I rarely came to the school area on the weekends, that is my time to relax). But listening to some podcasts would help too. Try to be productive on your drives if you can. I would listen to Islamic lectures and the Quran as well to make my drive better. Anything that you can do to make yourself awake during the drive is crucial. Sometimes I would talk to friends but honestly, it can be distracting especially at night so I would try to avoid it.

6. Pray for safety

Y’all….sheesh. Some days were not it at all! Either I would be driving on less than 3 hours of sleep or the weather would transform on me during my commute. I have driven through some of the worst rains, winter storms, and sometimes tornados. Whew truly ghetto 😩😩😩. When I tell you prayer is POWERFUL!!!? Do not sleep on it forreal. Allah (swt) was carrying me through all these rides ok?!

7. Do not come in if your life is at risk from the commute

When I wake up and I see that there is a huge snowstorm outside, I immediately text whoever I am working with that day that I am not coming in and if I can make that time up. My safety and my life are not worth one day of observation or sitting in class. If they are mad about it, then sorry I cannot help you. You will be ok. Because I will not be ok having to drive on slippery roads with my soul coming in and out of my body. It is not worth coming in at all if the weather is bad. Stay home!! !Everything will work itself out. Plus, it’s a day off for you, take it and enjoy it!

That is it y’all, I hope this helped some of my commuters who are reading this! By the way, please please please pray for Palestine. The situation there is so horrific and it truly breaks my heart. One of the Palestinian-Canadian aid workers there, Mansour Shouman, was abducted by the IDF.

I am truly scared for him. I pray that Allah (swt) reunites him with his family and that Palestine is freed from this oppressive occupation. Please sign the petition below and follow his Instagram for updates from his team.

https://www.change.org/p/demand-immediate-release-of-mansour-shouman-from-israel-government-and-idf

https://www.instagram.com/mansourshouman7/