A half hour (each way) commute isn't that bad. Even if you live within walking distance, you will probably have to walk 10-15 minutes each way anyway. Also, is it a bus commute, or would you have to drive? If it's on the bus, you can theoretically get some studying done during your commute. Think about what your life will be like if you don't live with your boyfriend -- will you come home and immediately want to drive out to see him every night? That could potentially interfere more with your studying than a routine commute would.
I used to live closer to school, but now my commute is about 30 minutes between walking to the bus stop and taking the bus. It's really a routine for me, and I don't feel like it's lost time. Especially since I have a nice walk to the bus stop (about 3/4 mile), I feel like it's "me time." It gives me a bit of time to wake up before I get to class. The 1 hour I spend in transit certainly doesn't put me behind -- I spend plenty of time slacking off anyway. 😀
I think it's different for everybody. A lot of my friends prefer to live close to the med school so they can roll out of bed and go to class. If you're the kind of person who runs late all the time, taking the bus can be a real problem because if you miss the bus, the next one might not come for a while and you'll be pretty late for class. Good luck!
