To think I can drive 4 hours per day, 4 times a week as a newly qualified driver?

You should be okay. Break the journey in half with a stop for a walk/coffee.

work out the fuel costs.

any public transport for part of the journey?

Their previous post that you quoted did though. You corrected them saying OP had passed their test. They weren't saying that OP needed to pass their test, but that the best way to learn if it's going to be a struggle is to get on and do it and get as much practice in as possible.

I wouldn’t. You’ll be shattered. Plus the petrol costs will be hundreds per week. Is that financially viable for you?

@Psych101B So, you're second-guessing yourself because of your parents' opinions? Perhaps you might like to remind them that it's a parent's job to boost your confidence and self-esteem, not bring you down.
I remember when I passed my driving test (first time, age 24) and drove my husband's car over to my parents - my mum's first comment was "Oh dear, fancy you driving a car that big!" 🙄(It was an average 4-door saloon.)
Honestly OP, I would plan to drive every day - it will massively increase your experience and confidence on the road (you may even meet someone on the course who's coming from the same direction as you that you could feasibly do a car-share with). If you think that catching the train would be beneficial (maybe you have some work you could do on the train, or you just want a break from the driving for a day) then do so, but I would make this the exception rather than the rule.

That’s certainly the kind of thing I would do (and regularly did) when I was a new driver.

Just remember that driving is significantly more tiring for a new driver than an experienced driver as you still need for everything to become autonomous and instinctual. New drivers are still having to think about gear changes and coming off the clutch, the muscle memory isn’t completely there yet so that in itself uses more brain power therefore will be more tiring.

With that many miles though it should reasonably quickly become more automatic and the muscle memory will develop pretty quickly so although it might be very tiring at first it will likely get better fairly quick as you get ‘driving fit’.

The cost of petrol and trains, not to mention time and brain space, may mean it’s more practical to lodge with someone Monday to Thursday.

You would need to book in advance and book a seat as well - this is usually no extra charge.

I did this for the first year of uni and was too shattered to do much of anything by the time I got home.
For the next few years I drove about an hour and got a train the rest of the way. It ended up costing about the same but less wear on the car and an hour on the train morning and evening either gave me a chance to do some work or just to regather myself ready to work when I got home.

Would that be an option?

You will become confident very quickly and it’s only term time. Can you move closer after the 1st year? Driving long distances in England in 60% infuriating traffic jams and you will undoubtedly miss out on some of the social side of university.

@Psych101B

The practice will help.

But that's at least 16 hours of driving, plus classes, plus assignments and tests. Don't set yourself up to fail.

Using public transport will give you hours each week to get the coursework done, and you'll have more time to study at home.

In addition, driving all those hours will put so much wear and tear on your tires, your vehicle, and all it's parts. Even one repair could be expensive, not to mention maintenance expenses.

If you look at the true cost of operating a vehicle, the train might be a much better value.

That’s madness to even consider

No reason why you should not be fine, but it sounds miserable! Are you sure you have to go in 4 days?

Also worth factoring in the hidden (ish!) costs of running the car.

HMRC mileage rate factors in wear & tear and is still 45p per mile. If my maths is right (because this sounds a lot) I reckon one week (4 days) would cost you approx 90x2x4x0.45 = £325 in petrol, upkeep and depreciation. Per month that's £1300. Doesn't make the train sound so bad!

Of course that's a blunt instrument and you can prob save money by running an older car with slower depreciation etc, but the costs of driving are probably much closer to that than they are to the petrol cost alone.

That will cost a fortune in fuel, it will be tiring after a days lectures and what if everyone’s going for a drink after lectures? Will you never join the fun?

if living there isn’t possible, I’d buy train tickets and stay in cheap hotels

It’s a crazy idea! Apart from anything else, so much driving in one week, week after week will not be good for your health.
You will render yourself more susceptible to accidents and will therefore be putting yourself (and others!) in danger. You may choose to risk it, but others don’t have the luxury of avoiding you.
And whether others agree or not, I think being a new driver will be a big factor in deciding your safety!
Please think again. Tiredness is big contributor to accidents.

I ended up doing this when I was at uni.

I DO NOT recommend it. Its tiring and you still will need to study.

Rethink this.

This is madness OP.

You will be exhausted.

There are so many variables with driving these distances.

If you REALLY must do it, and cannot lodge, don’t do some days driving and some not. Do part driving, part public transport every day. You get better value for money from your season ticket that way.

Don’t underestimate the value of being able to shut your eyes and put your head back for a moment even on busy public transport. You won’t be able to do this if you drive.

It sounds exhausting. Also, what are your feelings about the environmental impact? Train is obviously better from that perspective.

Or, as others have suggested, how about a part-time lodger arrangement? I've just taken on a part-time lodger in a similar situation (although in their case they live in another town and come to my city a few days a week for work) but the problem it solves is the same – a horribly long and tiring commute.
It'll be cheaper than a hotel, and more homey to live in a house, have use of a kitchen and washing machine etc.

I suggest that you get loads of practice in between now and the course starting - this will build your experience.

Actually, if you can't drive a journey of two hours due to lack of confidence then should you really be driving at all?

Yes but what's your course? My son commuted 30 miles for university but sometimes it was a real pain with long gaps between lectures and some semesters going in daily. Library and study spaces often full. Consider everything such as parking cost, my sons was £8 a day, petrol, wear and tear and depreciation of the car, food and drink costs. Coffees add up! Personally I would reconsider your plan bearing in mind you will be tired and adverse weather and roadworks can ruin best laid plans. My son had a 3 hour drive one day as the road was closed due to a fire and the diversion was long.

I'd been driving for about 20 years when my job changed and I had to do this. I was ok for the first few months, then I was absolutely exhausted all the time. Lost my social life, home life was a drudge and I was just no fun at all.

It's very difficult to imagine the impact such tiredness has on you and your life when you are excited about a new plan and full of confidence. Try it, if you really want to, but don't be surprised when you start to resent it and want to give it up.

It sounds awful, can you not live in a HMO near the university for a couple of nights a week?

I’d catch the train and spend the 4hrs doing uni work, such as required reading, summarising lecture notes, revision, thoughts/points for future work for assignments etc. That’s going to be a FAR better use of your travelling time than driving even taking cost into account.

Within two months of passing my driving test I was doing a 1-2 hour each way M25 commute, 5 days a week, before and after an 11 hour working day. I think it was a great way of just getting into driving and reducing the fear factor, although the cheap car I bought for £400 wasn't so happy about it and only lasted 3 months!

Surely if it's a doctorate once you've established yourself with your colleagues you could seek to have regular work from home days and you wouldn't need to travel at all. I did it on masters course way before covid and wfh was a thing. I had a 2 hour commute on multiple buses and trains and they were fine with me wfh.