i know some people in my class that live around 30 minutes drive from school, but i think the convenience of living close is priceless. especially first year, you are not going to want to be losing a couple valuable hours of sleep/study time so you can drive in. it's also nice being able to go home for lunch sometimes and be able to just pop over to the school anytime you need to practice in the lab, go to the library, whatever. I live about a 15 minute walk from the school and it's nice because i am close enough to be convenient, but just far enough off the main campus not to have to deal much with the traffic, undergrad crowds, etc.