I commuted. I had to drive through a years-long, MAJOR area of construction at the time so it was pretty awful sometimes, often taking up to two hours (but normally 30-60 mins, all due to traffic, not distance), but I did have an alternate route I could take which was usually a little better. I paid my own way, lived on my own, and worked two jobs. (And also managed to graduate with honors.) DH went to college as an adult and commuted to another state on weekends while working full time. You do what you have to do.
Both of my kids commute(d). They didn't want to live in dorms or take out loans if they didn't have to (and haven't yet). They learned to work around traffic when possible (though it wasn't always possible). They either drove, took the Commuter Rail, or the T, and used all of them depending on factors like weather/traffic and hours they had to be there, etc. Now juniors, DD only has to be at school two days a week this semester, so she's in a good place. (She also has one twelve hour clinical each week and works a job she loves.) She has many friends in school, dates someone from a nearby college, goes to hockey games, semi-formal dances in a group, and has lots of other fun/good experiences even though she goes home and sleeps in the Zen-like room she's created herself. So one can have a good time at college even when commuting if that's what a student desires.
For DS, although he did it for two years, playing a sport in college proved difficult for commuting - he was gone from really early morning (5am) until early evening (in the off season) or late at night (during the season) five, sometimes six, days a week; he got little sleep and he was exhausted all the time. (And he held a job at home on his off day.) So this year he's moved into an off-campus house with several teammates, and that's working out better for him as he has more time to study and even a little down time now. (His grades have improved already.) But neither has regrets about commuting. (And DS probably still would be if it weren't for his athletic commitments.) Financially, they saved a lot, although commuting isn't exactly cheap, either, with many costs involved such as needing a car, insurance, gas, upkeep, parking, food, rail fare, etc. (Overall, though, still much less than $12,000 to 16,000/yr, we've always looked at the math.)
I think it's an individual choice that has to take a lot of things into account. First and foremost, the school has to be the right fit. And the financial plan. Living expenses are part of that plan, as are commuting expenses - either, or. College is expensive, and people have to find the best way they can to afford it - and not just today, but in their future lives as far as paying down loans and such goes. If that involves commuting, then so be it, as long as it works for that person. Students have to ask themselves if "the college experience" (whatever that is) is really worth $64,000+ today when in many cases they're going to be paying that back for a very long time to come - first, before any other bills are paid: Living anywhere it will likely be difficult, but in a high COL area, it can be daunting. Defaulting can be a nightmare, as can deferring - interest often still accumulates. So not paying loans back really isn't an option. Lives can be negatively impacted in a lot of ways by starting out owing a lot.
In the OP, I would be a little concerned that the commute time is a solid two hours presumably five days a week. That's barring no delays and may not include times one has to stay late at school for different things. It might get pretty tough. But if everything else is a good fit, then it can be do-able, as others here have attested. I would try to make darned sure the path to a degree is a pretty sure one by planning as best I could at the outset so classes, i.e. money and time, aren't wasted. Don't just take other peoples' words for things, investigate them yourself, too. Four years goes by pretty quickly, at least. (And it goes by whether you get your degree or not!) If there are any colleges closer than that one that might also be a good fit, I'd be sure to check them out fully, as well. Four hours a day on the road, especially when you're tired, or not feeling well, say, can be really draining, and even lead to burn out. I hope you'll at least be able to do some work during your transportation time, if possible. My best advice would be to try to set yourself up for success as much as possible. Talk to others who've done the commute. If there's anyone you know who lives nearby, or there's an elderly person with a big house, see if they'd be interested in renting you a room in exchange for your doing chores, or something like that. It would also free you up some time to get a nearby job, perhaps - that's 20 hours a week commuting, on a good week. Best of luck to you.
