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Would i be crazy to drive an hour and a half one way to school each day?

Crazy, no, but there has to be some kind of tradeoff that's worth it for you. If it means saving $60-80K in debt because you are living at home or something, I can see it being worth it. It will mean you'll need a little extra discipline to study, because you'll have less time and be more tired from the drive. Maybe you can record lectures to listen to in the car or make some kind of audio study aid.

Also consider parking -- does 1.5 hrs include time to park? Is there a dedicated parking lot that will always have room or are you going to be scrambling for a street space?

Maplesyrup wrote:Would i be crazy to drive an hour and a half one way to school each day?

Yes. Barring some kind of atypical circumstance (like you're married with children and own your home and thus can't move) this seems like a terrible idea.

Edited to add: Law school is graded on a curve. That's three extra hours come finals time that your classmates have to study and you don't.

I've commuted between two and four hours every day for a while now. If it is possible, do not do it.

emkay625 wrote:

Maplesyrup wrote:Would i be crazy to drive an hour and a half one way to school each day?

Yes. Barring some kind of atypical circumstance (like you're married with children and own your home and thus can't move) this seems like a terrible idea.

Edited to add: Law school is graded on a curve. That's three extra hours come finals time that your classmates have to study and you don't.

About that study time... if you aggregate that time, you are losing 150ish hours each semester to commuting that you could have used to study instead.

Yeah unless you're saving tens of thousands of dollars this seems crazy. That's a lot of wasted time.

Don't worry about the lost study time. People grossly overestimate / exaggerate the amount of time spent actually doing work/studying during 1L. Finals, sure...but regular semester, its much less than a 9-5 job.

That being said, I still wouldnt want to commute that long, but if its a possibility, I am sure there are valid reasons for it.

thanks for the replies everyone. it looks like if i wake up super early and beat traffic then i could cut it down to 1 hr, the intent is to keep from uprooting my wife from her job. i'll weigh the pros and cons carefully, i was worried mostly about the lost time, on the other hand i don't really mind driving, it sort of relaxes me.

1.5 hours is pretty bad. My commute is between 45 and 60 minutes one way most days, and although I don't mind it too much, I enjoy driving, and I'm not sure I could do much longer. Some time is nice to reflect on and plan for the day. But 1.5 hours is pretty bad -- you would need to like driving and not mind buying gas every few days for it to be advisable.

1) Record your notes and listen to them on the drive. Auditory reinforcement will cement the concepts better than visual alone. 2) Destroy 1L exams due to said cementation. 3) Sell your recordings to 1Ls with your class rank as proof that it works. 4) If you receive complaints from 1Ls about efficacy of recordings, let them know that it was anecdotal proof and remind them they paid way more to learn less from the actual class.

I do it 5 days a week. No doubt about it, it sucks. I try to make up that time lost by listening to barbri lectures or Sum and Substance CDs. Its doable, just have to make use of time in the car.

Maplesyrup wrote:thanks for the replies everyone. it looks like if i wake up super early and beat traffic then i could cut it down to 1 hr, the intent is to keep from uprooting my wife from her job. i'll weigh the pros and cons carefully, i was worried mostly about the lost time, on the other hand i don't really mind driving, it sort of relaxes me.

It would be crazy to have your wife give up income for you to go to law school imo. Crazier than a long commute. But be realistic and not optimistic about the time, and, again, factor in parking too (don't be the guy who is always late because "couldn't find parking!" i.e. didn't factor in extra time for parking).

My commute during law school was probs 45 min to an hour one way depending on traffic. It isn't the greatest but you can manage and still do well in law school no doubt.

It will suck, but it is definitely possible. Make the time worth your while. Like someone else said, listen to class recordings you make during the trip. Are you going to be saving money by commuting?

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sublime wrote:

unsweetened wrote:

emkay625 wrote:

Maplesyrup wrote:Would i be crazy to drive an hour and a half one way to school each day?

Yes. Barring some kind of atypical circumstance (like you're married with children and own your home and thus can't move) this seems like a terrible idea.

Edited to add: Law school is graded on a curve. That's three extra hours come finals time that your classmates have to study and you don't.

About that study time... if you aggregate that time, you are losing 150ish hours each semester to commuting that you could have used to study instead.

Your peers will waste much more time drinking while you waste much more time driving.

While I'm inclined to agree with you there, peer tendencies are outside the scope of OP's control. Commute time is within OP's dominion and would allow more time for... drinking.

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unsweetened wrote:

sublime wrote:

unsweetened wrote:

emkay625 wrote:

Maplesyrup wrote:Would i be crazy to drive an hour and a half one way to school each day?

Yes. Barring some kind of atypical circumstance (like you're married with children and own your home and thus can't move) this seems like a terrible idea.

Edited to add: Law school is graded on a curve. That's three extra hours come finals time that your classmates have to study and you don't.

About that study time... if you aggregate that time, you are losing 150ish hours each semester to commuting that you could have used to study instead.

Your peers will waste much more time drinking while you waste much more time driving.

While I'm inclined to agree with you there, peer tendencies are outside the scope of OP's control. Commute time is within OP's dominion and would allow more time for... drinking.

He can just combine the two for maximum efficiency.